


Children of Lost Causes

by Mizuphae



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Character Arc Possibly for the Worse, Character Death, Codependency, Hallucinations, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Jason Todd is Robin, Jason Todd-centric, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Morally Grey Tim Drake, Mother-Son Relationship, Obsession, Possible Redemption, Tim Drake is Scapino, Tim Drake is adopted by Harley Quinn, Tim Drake-centric, Tim Wears High Heels, What separates a hero from a villain?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:22:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27702707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mizuphae/pseuds/Mizuphae
Summary: Under the custody of Harleen Quinzel, Tim Drake adopts his own persona as Scapino, obsessing over Robin along the way. When a new Robin steps up after Dick retires his childhood uniform, Tim is willing to doanythingto keep Jason by his side.Robin knows that he should stay away from Scapino, a potential villain and sly protégé of Harley Quinn, but oh, does it feel nice to be needed.*Updates Every Tuesday*
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Tim Drake & Harleen Quinzel, Tim Drake & Pamela Isley, Tim Drake/Jason Todd
Comments: 118
Kudos: 300





	1. A New Robin, A New Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big, big thank you to my betas kitcat and robinlikeitshot! I couldn't have done this without you both <3
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this fic, because man I am so excited to take you on this journey. I have a couple of chapters ready to post, besides the others that I'm currently working on, and plan to update once a week. Also, please be warned the tags may possibly be added as I go along this fic; I will warn you in the notes of the specific chapter if something important has been added.

Tim sat on top of the rooftop, hugging his knees, not caring that he was being drenched by the Gotham rain. He had come out before the downpour, needing to _feel_ something. Everything became numb after Robin, no—Dick had left and become _Nightwing_. He left Gotham, he left _Tim_ behind. Just like his parents. He should’ve known he would. 

He hasn’t been able to get himself to put on the Scapino uniform, his persona that is chaotic and enthusiastic to do whatever he’d like, as long as it was fun. Instead, he sits there on the cold rooftop, in his wet sweatshirt and sweatpants, alone. 

Alone all over again. Even Harley, the woman who so kindly took Tim in after his parents died, was incapable of helping him. No matter what she said or did in a futile attempt to comfort him after Dick left—taking his sense of purpose along with him—it never worked. Not even blowing things up could bring a smile to his face, and that almost always worked.

He hung his head and sighed, curling inwards as the rain splattered on his head, wetting his hair. It was getting a bit longer than it usually was. Tim normally kept his hair just slightly long enough to put in a ponytail, but he didn’t have the energy to get his haircut. 

A clatter of feet against concrete sounded like a familiar splatter of colors—red, yellow, and green—landed on the rooftop and Tim blinked.

 _Robin?_

He thought that Dick had decided to never put on the Robin costume again. But a faint spark of hope lit in his chest that maybe he had changed his mind. Maybe he regretted it. Maybe, maybe he loved Tim as much as Tim loved him. But it was just wishful thinking.

“Hey, kid,” Robin, someone who didn’t sound nor look like Dick lowered a hand to Tim. “Are you okay?”

Tim’s eyes were wide as he stared down at the gloved hand, a symbol of hope reaching out to him. 

“Uh, kid?”

Tim still said nothing and Robin sat down beside him in a criss-cross position. “Hey, kid. Are you doing okay? Why are you on a rooftop?”

He wanted to say that he’s pretty sure he’s not much younger than Robin, but he instead looked away, shrugging his shoulders and curling into a ball, away from this new Robin.

“You’re not gonna—you’re not gonna do anything bad, are you?”

Throw himself off a roof? No, Tim wasn’t going to do that but... he didn’t dare meet the boy’s eyes. He clutched at his arms tighter and stared into the distance at the building ahead of them, the rain still shrouding him. 

“Hey, can you say something? Please?”

Speaking sounded like a feat far greater than it should be. He hadn’t spoken much since Dick had left, and he often opted to not speak at all because he felt utterly exhausted after a mere couple of words. It worried Harley who tried to talk to him about it, but he just couldn’t. But he tried now and coughed slightly before taking a deep breath. 

“You’re not,” his voice sounded scratchy from disuse, but he was saying something slightly coherent. “You’re not Robin.”

The boy flinched back. “I—I am Robin. Yeah, the old one is gone, but _I’m_ Robin now. I work with Batman.”

“Di—Different?” 

“Yeah,” Robin smiled gently. “I’m different from the old one. Really different.”

Tim wiped away a tear with a sleeve, now looking down at his knees, avoiding eye contact with Robin. He fidgeted with his fingers before asking, “Not the same?”

“Nope. That’s not gonna be a problem, is it?”

Tim shook his head. “Different… different is good.”

Different is what Tim needed right now. It’s hard to breathe without Dick here; he had always found a way to make Tim forget about his troubles. Harley had despised Dick for taking Tim away, and trying to turn him into a hero—taking him away from the chaos Tim was starting with Harley. Before Dick made Tim some sort of sick project to turn him into his ideal set of morals, Tim would have fun with Harley painting the streets of Gotham red.

But Dick saw something in Tim and decided to try to make him a sort of vigilante alongside him. And so Robin started dragging Scapino into his patrols, saving civilians from muggers and banks from robbers. And Scapino _loved_ it. The moral part? No, that didn’t catch his interest but… someone other than Harley—don’t get him wrong, he loved Harley and everything she had done for him but it was nice to have someone other than his mother figure and psychiatrist actually _want_ to spend time with him. And so Tim agreed to everything Dick asked him to do.

But then Dick left. And Tim was at a loss of what to do, so confused and without a purpose after Dick told him he was leaving. Harley almost went out to wreak havoc on Dick. Almost. The only reason why she didn’t was that he kept clutching onto her, keeping her from walking out the door, afraid of what he’d do to himself if she, his last constant in his life, left. 

“You didn’t like… you didn’t like the last Robin?” Robin asked, his voice filled with so many mixed emotions that Tim struggled to decipher. 

He shook his head again, curling his fingers into his sweatshirt-covered arms.

“Me neither, he’s kinda a dick.” Tim exhaled a breath of relief, grateful Robin wasn’t probing any further. “He doesn’t…” Tim stole a glance at the new vigilante who wore a sad frown on his face. “I don’t think he likes me very much.”

 _That makes two of us. He doesn’t seem to like me anymore, either_ , Tim thought to himself unhappily. _Why else would he leave me behind?_ But instead of saying that, he silently reached a hand out to hold onto Robin’s. It was wet, but he didn’t care.

“Thank you,” Robin grinned down at their hands. “Are you going to be okay, kid?” 

Robin leaned forward and straightened his back as if readying himself to stand up, so Tim tightened his hold and Robin laughed slightly. “Alright, you want me to stay?”

“St—stay,” Tim croaked, staring at their connected hands. 

_Please stay as no one else had done before. Please stay even though your predecessor left me the instant he found something better. Please stay even though we are strangers to one another. Please stay because I need someone to care._

“Okay,” Robin smiled down at Tim. “I will.”

And he stayed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honey, you've got a big storm coming. *dance move*
> 
> Please feel free to comment any questions and thoughts you may have. Have a wonderful day/night wherever you are and I hope to see you all next week!


	2. Who Are You, Really?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What does it mean to be the bad guy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone's having a good day/night! This is a reminder/notice that Tim doesn't have a healthy opinion of love (currently), due to Harley's influence. It's not very heavy in this chapter, but it's a strong theme throughout this fic.
> 
> As always, thank you to my lovely betas kitcat and robinlikeitshot! And now, please enjoy this chapter, everyone!

It had been nearly a year since they first met, and Tim absolutely _adored_ Jason. How could he not? He was everything Tim could ever want; so long as he didn’t leave Tim. If another person left him, if _Jason_ left him, Tim doesn’t know what he would do. But for now, all he knows is that he’s in love with him. 

While Jason didn’t know that it was Scapino who he had met on that rooftop, Tim did and that was what really mattered. Jason didn’t know it was Robin, Jason’s Robin, that had helped Tim back up to his feet and able to put the mask back on. But he didn’t need to know, all that mattered was that Robin was with Scapino now.

“I don’t get you,” Robin huffed, reluctantly plopping himself down on the concrete rooftop beside him. 

Scapino grinned, a hand delicately stroking one of Robin’s arms. “Isn’t that part of the fun, my Robin?”

Robin snorted, shoving his hand away. Scapino huffed in disappointment, shifting the sheathed rapier at his side to sit more comfortably. “Not really. I also don’t get why you’re always so obsessed with me. Are you trying to turn us into some horrible cliche romance novel? We’re supposed to be fighting. We’re opposites.”

Scapino ponders that, hands carefully set in his lap. "Do you—do you think I’m a bad guy?" Scapino asked hesitantly, remembering how the first Robin used to tell him that being the ‘good guy’, the ‘hero,’ was always better. 

"Huh?" Robin shook their head. "N-no, it’s not like you're a shitty person, Tim—er, Scapino. I just think that mayb—" 

A grin burst onto Scapino's face—contrary to the tentative expression he wore earlier—before he chuckled softly. "I think I like being a bad guy. Harley seems to have a lot of fun,” he nudged Robin’s shoulder. “You should be one with me."

“I, uh, what? No. I don’t think that’s a good idea, and also, I’m _Robin_. I can’t be a villain. I’m the hero that swoops in and saves the day!”

“After Batman.”

“What?”

“You always follow Batman, wherever he goes.” Scapino peered at Robin through his masquerade mask. One of his hands unconsciously traced the thin delicate lines that he had carved into it. “He’s not much fun, from what I’ve seen. Why do you do it?”

“He’s Batman and I’m Robin.”

“And? Don’t you want to be your own person? Have fun with me?” 

“I _am_ my own fuckin’ person, Scapino.” Robin scooted away from Scapino who smoothly moved with him. “I have loads of fun when I’m Robin, all the time.”

“Robi—Jay. Jay, I always have so much fun with you,” Scapino said pleadingly, his voice begging for Jason to stay with him. “Please. Wouldn’t you leave Batman and all of his stupid rules, so that you can be with me and we can have fun together?”

Robin abruptly stood trying to look anywhere except at Scapino who was still sitting and pulling at his legs in a futile attempt to regain his attention. “I can’t do that, Scap. The lives of Gotham are a higher priority than just _having fun_.”

“Wow, you’re really starting to sound like Golden Boy, huh?” Scapino spat bitterly, crossing his arms and turning away from Robin.

“Damn it, Scapino. Fuck you.” Robin scowled. “I didn’t tell you about Dickwing so you could throw it back in my face.” 

His hands were so shaky from his anger that he had to relatch the grapple three times before he got it equipped correctly to grapple away.

“Wait!” Scapino cried out, a hand clinging to Robin’s bright yellow cape. 

Alarm shot through his body at the thought, the fear that Robin would leave him behind. _Again._ Another person who he loved with all of his heart would drop him, and it would be all his fault because he said the wrong thing.

“ _Please_. Stay with me? I’m sorry!”

Robin inhaled deeply. “Fuck you, Scapino.”

With nervous eyes, Scapino watched Robin clench and unclench his fists, pointedly looking away from him. After a couple of moments that felt like hours, he exhaled turning back to Scapino. “I—I can’t stay mad at you, huh.” He tiredly rubbed his face with a gloved hand. “It’s alright. I’ll see you later.”

Hands trembling as Scapino tried to keep himself from lunging at Robin and hugging him and never letting him go again, Scapino’s eyes felt like they were burning from tears underneath his mask. 

“Promise?”

“What?”

“Do you promise I’ll see you later? You won’t leave and avoid me forever, will you?”

Not like the others.

Robin sighed. “Yes, Scapino.” His eyes met Scapino’s and a shiver ran down his spine. “I promise I won’t leave you forever.” He closed his eyes briefly and exhaled harshly through his nose. “I’ll see you later, Scap.”

And then he swung away, leaving Scapino behind on the rooftop, surrounded by the whistling wind that was sure to be followed by rain sometime soon. Pulling himself up onto his feet, hands dusting his knees as the high-heeled boots—that he had started wearing so that he could stay half of an inch taller than Robin—clicked against the rooftop cement.

Jason wouldn’t...Jason wouldn’t leave him, or at least Tim hoped not. He hoped that he wouldn’t turn out to be like Dick. He doesn’t know what he’d do with himself if Jason of all people left him.

He readied his grapple, taking in a deep breath before swinging out into the Gotham sky, towards Harley and his apartment. He let himself smile softly at the sight of the building once it was within his line of vision; there were some vines creeping along the sides of the building, so Pam and Harley must be on good terms right now. He liked it when Harley spent time with Pam because Pam always made Harley so happy, but it doesn’t tend to last long, because Harley would inevitably get caught back up in her love for the Joker.

While he didn’t like the Joker much, he didn’t see why Pam yells at Harley so much for it. Love was love, and Harley _really_ loves the Joker; there wasn’t anything really wrong with it. Harley loved the Joker so much, just like how Tim loved Jason so much. Harley and Tim love their respective partners so much, and they just want them to stay with them forever. It’s not like that’s anything _bad_ , or anything. It’s not hurting anyone.

Finally, at the rooftop atop the apartment, he dropped himself onto the pavement and exhaled deeply before entering his home, the door softly creaking open and the tiles shifting underneath his feet. Things may have seemed worn down, but they liked it like that. Both of them did. Others would have tried to get them fixed, whether it was crouching down and doing the work themselves, or hiring someone to do it for them. 

But why would you do that when it doesn’t really disrupt your life? The two of them don’t need such petty things to be fixed. They had more important things in mind. Like having fun. Like spending time with the person you love.

“Scappy-baby!” A high-pitched welcoming voice rang from the kitchen. “How are you doing, baby!”

“Hi Mama,” Tim said in a small voice, feeling worn out from the events of the day. It’s always more tiring when Robin doesn’t have much fun with him. Holding onto the doorknob for balance, he unzipped his boots and placed them on the shoe rack.

Harley abruptly turned away from whatever concoction she was making to frown at Tim as he carefully took off his mask and placed it on the table. “Timmy, babes, what happened?”

“Nothing, Harles—” He wasn’t surprised to find himself being squeezed nearly to death by Harley, who began to dramatically sob on his shoulder. “Wait, I have to put down my rapier—”

“Good lord, this thing again, my poor baby! Always saying ‘nothing’ this, and ‘nothing’ that. Always ‘don’t worry, Harley’; of course I worry! Now, spill!” 

Just as quickly as she’d come, Harley unraveled herself from Tim and made her way back to the mixing bowl. Tim went back to taking off his accessories and unbuckling the belt that hooked the scabbard for his rapier.

“I was just talking to Robin and—”

Her face darkened and she turned her head to look back at Tim as she viciously stirred the bowl. “Oh, dear. Those Robins, nothing but trouble. And not the fun trouble either.”

“No, Mama,” Tim shook his head and moved to take out his laptop from a drawer. “That was just the first one. This Robin is a very good one.” He tapped his fingertips on the laptop cover. “A _very_ good one.”

“Love is love, baby!”

“Love is love,” Tim murmured back.

Harley pointed her whisk at Tim, sending droplets of… whatever she had been stirring—he couldn’t really tell—flying towards him. “Good, baby. Now, what are we doing tonight, Scappy-baby?”

He let himself grin widely, as he opened his laptop and quickly typed in the passcode. “I stole some funds from the Falcone family, so we can have fun with some dynamite.”

“Oh!” Harley squealed. “Good work, sugar plum!” 

She leaned in to kiss Tim’s cheek, before dancing away to the kitchen cabinets. “You start making some icing for this cake, baby, and we’ll decorate it after we come back! It’ll cool as we’re having fun!”

Tim beamed. It’d be hard to find something he’d give this up for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos and comments are always immensely appreciated, and they always, always make my day. Have a great day/night!


	3. Be Yourself, Whatever That Means

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Join the dark side. Together, we’ll have fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you to my betas kitcat and robinlikeitshot! I love you both!
> 
> And now... enjoy!

Shoulders tense, Scapino paced back and forth across the rooftop anxiously, listening to the satisfying click of his high heels that pierced the extraordinarily quiet night as he waited for Robin to finally arrive at the meet-up spot they had agreed on the last time they had seen each other. Robin was incredibly late today, and Scapino couldn’t help but jump to conclusions of what may have possibly happened because Jason hated keeping people waiting for him.

Although he rationally knew that Robin was most likely caught up in something, Scapino wondered if maybe he decided he’d rather not hang out with Scapino anymore. That because Scapino wasn’t a vigilante like him, that he had left just like Dick did. Maybe he had finally figured out whatever his parents had known before they went off and died.

There were goosebumps on Tim’s skin where he was exposed to the cold wind. While his clothing—that Haley had worried over during the process of his designing—did a good enough job at keeping his body warm, there were still openings in his sleeves and on his face where the frigid air snuck in and made him shiver. These nights could get really cold, especially with Gotham’s horrible weather, but Tim always immediately felt warm on both the inside and the outside whenever Jason visited him.

His breath caught as he saw a bright flash of red, yellow, and green, and he exhaled the breath that he didn’t even know he was holding. 

“Traffic light!” Scapino called out as he waved his arms at Robin’s silhouette. “You came.” His voice was practically painted with relief and he was thankful that Robin didn’t comment on it; and he never did.

However, Robin didn’t answer him, instead glaring straight down at the ground as soon as he landed, shoving his grapple in his utility belt as his free hand clenched and unclenched at his side. 

“Robin?” Scapino carefully walked up to Robin, voice quiet and concerned. With furrowed eyebrows, he tried to understand the many, many emotions that were brimming on Robin’s face, his domino mask doing nothing to conceal them. “Rob?”

Robin stood in dangerously still silence for only a couple of seconds before throwing his head back and screaming, “Fuckin’ hell!” His voice was wet with fury and hatred. Scapino flinched away from Robin as he punched a nearby container, denting the metal. “Ow!” He cried out, raising his hand to his face to inspect it. “Shit! Motherfucker!”

Scapino was stunned for all of a few moments before he stepped forward and wrapped Robin, his beloved friend, into a tight hug. He could feel the older boy trembling against his chest as Robin gasped for air, gloved hands clutching at Scapino’s back, welcoming the embrace and hugging back even tighter as if begging Scapino to not let go. And Tim would never dream of it.

“Robin?” Wide-eyed and surprised at Robin’s burst of emotions, Scapino rubbed Robin’s back, just like how Harley always did whenever he started to tear up and she pulled him into her lap.

“Sca—Sca— _Tim_.” Robin’s voice cracked on his _real_ name and something stirred in Tim’s chest. 

He stood at the same height as Robin, thanks to the extra boost his high-heeled boots gave him. Tim couldn't help but feel grateful for that day he decided to learn how to navigate the rooftops of Gotham in high heels so that he could now embrace the boy properly. And also that day he decided that he _needs_ to be as tall as Robin, the second one at least.

“What happened?” Tim growled as his face darkened. “Who did this to you? Who do I need to ruin?”

“I fuckin’—” A hiccup cut Jason off and Tim squeezed Jason even tighter. “I fuckin’ swear that I didn’t fuckin’ do it!”

“Huh?” Tim blinked before narrowing his eyes, a small suspicion building in the back of his mind. “What? What didn’t you do?”

“I didn’t kill him! I didn’t kill that shitbag Garzonasa!” Jason drew back from Tim’s embrace and he instantly missed it. He looked at Tim pleadingly, as if begging him to believe him. And for Jason? Tim would believe anything. Jason could tell him that the world is flat, and Tim would agree. That’s love, right?

“He fell off of that roof all by himself,” Jason continued vehemently. “He deserved to die anyway, god damn it! He was a fuckin’ horrible person—hell, if you can even call him a person—who deserved to rot in hell for all of eternity for everything he’s done. But I swear to fuckin’ God, I didn’t kill him.”

“Kill? What—”

“I’m not a fucking _murderer_ , Tim!”

Tim’s mind was confused and frantic, but he immediately reassured him, resting a hand on Jason’s shoulder comfortingly. “I believe you, Jay. Who doesn’t?”

“Batman,” Jason replied miserably. “Fuckin’ _Batman_ doesn’t believe me. And I’m supposed to be his partner.”

Tim saw his chance—”Your own dad doesn’t believe you?”—and he took it. He always does. “You don’t need to put up with him and his bullshit. _Leave him._ I’ll always,” he grasps Jason’s hands, “always be here for you. Unlike him.”

“No—” Jason whipped his hands away out of Tim’s reach. “Damn it, Scap. I’m really _not_ in the mood to listen to your recruitment speech again. Please, for the love of whatever, not right now.”

“But _Jay_ , don’t you want to not have to worry about that? If you join me, I would never judge you, like he does. I would never _dream_ of it.”

Jason stood in silence. “No. I can’t. I’m Robin—fuck, he benched me too.”

“You’re benched?” Scapino threw his hands in the air. “Don’t you see what I mean?! You don’t have to put up with this shit! Come with me! I have fun, look at me!” He jabbed himself in the chest with his thumb. “Mama Harles and I? We don’t have to worry about that! Why don’t you want this, too? The freedom, the freedom to do whatever you want.”

“I can’t be a criminal, Tim.” 

Tim laughed coldly. “You’re already a criminal. If I’m a criminal, then you are too. Vigilantism is a _crime_ , after all. Might as well have fun while doing it. You and Batman? You’re criminals, just like the rest of us. Like Harley, like Two-Face, like Penguin, like the Joker, like _me_.” 

He leaned into Jason’s face and hissed, “The only thing that separates us is that we have _fun_. You could do all of that heroic stuff with your strict guidelines, save old ladies from trees and walk cats across the street, and whatnot. But you could have fun, too.”

“I _am_ having fun—”

“Sure, you are,” Tim sneered. “But Batman won’t let you have real fun. With him, it’s all work and no play. Why do you think Dick left?”

“Because he and B—”

“Because they kept arguing. Because Batman wouldn’t help him properly. Because Batman kept trapping his Robin and wouldn’t set him free; he wouldn’t unlock the pretty golden wired cage. Batman isn’t good for you, Jason. But _I am_.”

Jason scowled, “Stop using our real names.”

“Fine, _Robin_. But you aren’t Robin anymore!”

Jason flinched back, a hurt look on his face was quickly replaced with a look of fury.

“You aren’t! He _benched_ you! He clipped your wings so that you can’t reach your full potential. But with me, Jay? You could do anything you want. Anything. Reach for the moon, and I’ll make sure you get there. I will _always_ support you.”

Tim examined Jason’s face before making a decision. He took off his masquerade mask, causing Jason’s eyes to widen in shock. 

“Sca—Scap?”

“Jay, I swear. You need to listen to me. If you stay with Bruce, he’s going to tear you apart. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, because I love you.”

“We’re teenagers, Tim. Don’t turn this into some kind of Romeo and Julie—”

“I don’t care! All I care about is you and me—being by your side. We could survive _anything_ , as long as we’re together.”

“I can’t. No matter how mad I am at Bruce, right now. I can’t. I’m _Robin_.”

“Not anymore.”

“Shut the fuck up, Tim,” Jason snapped, making Tim recoil. “Stop trying to start this shit again.”

He sighed, realizing that he wasn’t going to get anywhere with Jason. He was refusing to see reason, meaning Tim had to figure out a different approach.

“I’m sorry, Jason.” Tim reached a hand out before rethinking and holding it to his chest. “I didn’t mean to upset you, I just want the best for you. That’s all.”

“I—” Jason groaned, pulling at his bangs. “I’m also sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you. I’m just super fuckin’ mad at B right now. I shouldn’t have projected that onto you; that wasn’t right.”

Tim nodded in acknowledgment as he put his masquerade mask back on. “It’s okay, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have made it worse for you.”

“Let’s just…” Jason clenched and unclenched his fists, a tell-tale sign that Tim had noticed over the months. “Let’s just do something else.”

Scapino tapped his fingers against his chin in thought. “Okay.” He reached out to grab Jason’s hand, who limply let him hold onto it. “Let’s go blow something up?”

“Scap,” Jason groaned. “That’s just going to make B even more pissed off.”

“But it’s so much fun,” Tim pouted pulling himself closer to Jason’s body, still holding onto Jason’s hand, their faces dangerously close to one another’s. 

“I don’t know… he might keep me benched even longer.”

“Then I guess we’ll just have to make sure he doesn’t find out. Think of it as a training exercise, you Bats like those, don’t you?”

Jason began to look more convinced and Scapino grinned at him in victory. “Plus, big boom.”

He sighed dramatically, throwing his arms up in faux exasperation. “Okay, fine. Let’s do it.”

Jason stepped towards the edge of the rooftop, pulling Scapino along with him. They both took out their grapples. 

“Who did you steal from for the explosives?”

Scapino’s laughter rang through the night sky, causing a flock of crows to fly away from the landline nearby.

“Don’t worry your little head about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated and make my heart swell! Have a wonderful day/night, y'all!


	4. Stay with Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A good person in Ethiopia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thank you to my betas kitcat and robinlikeitshot for putting up with me! Y'all are awesome as always!
> 
> Enjoy this chapter!

Laying his head back against the cement, Scapino laid sprawled on the concrete rooftop, arms and legs spread out as he stared up at the smoggy night sky without a star in sight. Gotham was ruthless to everything that inhabited it, and its pollution was no different. 

Businessmen made corrupt deals every day, creating monopolies and destroying the water supply, leaving plants, animals, and citizens alike to fend for themselves and either adapt to their new environment or fail to thrive in what some may call home, and others hell. And some may tell you that this hell that they live in _is_ their home, occasionally with pride.

Scapino fidgeted as he watched Robin land on the roof heavily. Never with as much grace as the first Robin, never with that silly twirl Dick would do when he tried to make Scapino smile (and of course he did; if Robin wanted Scapino to smile, he smiled), never with the feather-light steps that Tim couldn’t hear even if he was right in front of him. But rather with steps that he could hear, almost feel. And even though the second Robin never resembled a ballerina or an acrobat, Scapino liked him better. Tim felt more grounded around him, freed from the fear that the noises he could just _barely_ hear would be gone before he knew it, and Tim would only be left with a whisper in the wind.

With a sharp exhale, Scapino pushed himself off the pavement to get up to his feet, hearing Robin pant heavily from the exertion to get here. He could see a massive grin on Robin’s face from where he stood. Despite the fact that he didn’t know why Robin was happy, Scapino started to smile too. Robin’s joy was always so infectious and was not as frequently shown as the first Robin’s, so Scapino looked at Robin’s face carefully, taking in the crinkle around his eyes, the curl on the corner of his chapped lips, the dimple on one side of his face. 

He ran over to the brightly caped vigilante, throwing his arms around the older boy. “Rob! I missed you!”

“Oh, come on,” Robin playfully scoffed despite hugging him in return. “I saw you last week, Scap.”

“Our last meeting got cut short though.”

“Yeah, Alfred called. But whatever, guess what?” Robin’s face somehow brightened even more.

Scapino hummed in response, probing Robin to continue whatever he was about to say.

“I found my mom!”

“What?” Scapino relaxed his arms and took a step back in confusion. “But your mom… didn’t she already pass away?”

“N—no, uh, well yes.” Robin’s lips thinned at the memory of his late mother. “Catherine wasn’t my birth mom. I found my birth certificate and… yeah. It’s not her.” When Scapino remained silent, unsure of what to say, Robin continued, “But yeah! I found my real mom and her name is Sheila Haywood. She’s an actually good person!”

“How do you know?”

“What?”

Scapino blinked at Robin, toying with the saber that sat on his hip. “How do you know if she’s a good person? You haven’t even met her.”

No one’s a good person, really. No one is ever actually good with a good sense of humanity, Tim’s found out, except for a couple of rare people. Jason’s one of them, of course.

“She’s a doctor at a refugee camp, in Ethiopia. She’s working to help people; she’s a _good person_ ,” Jason insisted. “I know it. I can feel it.”

Scapino remained silent, but Tim raged inwardly. How could he _feel_ it? That’s what he thought of Dick, all of those years ago. That’s what he thought when Dick would smile at him, teach him how to run across rooftops, and reach a hand out to him with that grin that _must_ have been fake, with a filthy hand that only fed him lies. Lies that Dick cared for him, lies that Dick wanted the best for him, lies that Dick believed in him.

“A doctor!” Jason crowed, “Isn’t that cool?”

“I—I guess that’s kinda cool,” Tim mumbled, uncomfortably clicking his heels together. 

“I know, right?” Jason looked so… happy. And Tim didn’t even do anything. “So I’m gonna go and try to find her! And talk to her, too! She’d be so proud of me, that I’m Robin and helping people, especially because she’s a good person and helps people too!”

Tim’s mouth went dry, his arms feeling frozen at his sides, feeling stiff and unable to move. Why was Jason always looking for a _good person_? Look, Tim already knew he wasn’t known as a ‘good guy’. He’d talked to DIck long enough to know that. That he will never be good enough or nice enough to meet expectations. But god damn it, being a ‘good’ person was so fucking horrible and miserable for Tim the last fifty times he tried. Of course he tried; Dick asked him to do it for him. It’s not like Tim would pass that up (but he would absolutely pass it up now).

But why did _Jason_ have to be the same way, far too caught up in _morality_. Morality was sticky, yet rigid and hard to decipher. Why not just have fun? Why not have fun with _Tim_?

Tim reached out to embrace Jason again, tightening his arms around him as he breathed in the cold Gotham air. He nearly choked. “You—you’re going to leave me? For someone you don’t even know?”

“She’d be… she’d be a fresh start. She doesn’t know all the ways I’ve messed up yet,” he said mournfully, eyes deep with a yearning. A desperation for someone, _anyone_ to stay with him, to believe him, and to love him for who he is. But those people are so goddamn scarce; Tim knows that feeling well.

“But she left you.”

“No, sh—”

“Jason. _Jason_ ,” Tim’s voice turned hard. “She left you at birth, before even giving you a chance. Why the hell should you go back to her?”

“She was young,” Jason shook his head. “Maybe she thought she wouldn’t be a good mother and wanted the best for me. She’s a doctor, remember?”

“Being a doctor means _nothing_ , Jason. Back when you lived in Crime Alley, weren’t you ever afraid of people trying to kill you and steal your organs?” Tim watched Jason bite his lip. “Wasn’t that why you were paranoid of Dr. Thompkins at first?”

Jason didn’t answer. “Anyways,” Tim continued, “she _left_ you. My parents left me. Remember? I know you read my case file. They were gone for the majority of the time they were still alive, saying ‘Oh, Timothy, we have to leave again’, ‘Oh, Timothy, we don’t care’. So? I got over it!” _Lie._ “I moved on and I’m so much better for it. They left me behind. Your mom left you behind.” Jason flinched and Tim took a death breath. “Sorry, I’m just—I’m trying to help you make the best decision here, Jason. Your mom left you, but I didn’t. I’ve never left you and I swear I never will. Why would you go after her? Stay with _me_.”

“Tim—”

“Yes, Tim. Stay with me.”

Jason hesitated before shaking off Tim’s clinging limbs and scowling at him. “You only ever think about yourself, Scap. I want to be happy too, damn it. Fuck, you’re always so controlling and manipulative.”

Tim stared confusedly at Ja—no, _Robin’s_ face. His walls had come up around his mind, his expression closed off from Tim’s prying eyes. “I—what? No. No, no, no, no, no. Jason,” he weakly laughed. “Jason, of course not. I just want you to be happy with me. But now you’re looking for something elsewhere, in Ethiopia, which is so, so far from Gotham. Where _I_ am.”

Robin rubbed his face exhaustedly. “Fuckin’ hell, Scap,” he groaned. “I’m just—I’m gonna come back, okay? Trust me. You and your abandonment issues can relax, alright? I’ll always come back for you, you know that.” 

Does he, though?

Scapino glared at an empty rooftop off to the left of the building they were standing on now. “Is Batman still being mean about me?”

Snorting, Robin said, “Honestly, I wouldn’t really concentrate on that. B’s always an asshole. He just doesn’t really like the fact that you hang out with me so much, especially since we are on opposing sides.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “You know, with the whole living with Harley thing, and committing a bunch of crimes for fun situation.”

Looking over at Robin slyly, Scapino knocked their shoulders together, mood lightening. “I don’t commit as many crimes when you’re around anyway, Bird-Boy, so I don’t see the problem.”

Robin barked out a laugh, leaning an elbow on Scapino’s shoulder. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Sometimes it feels as if you only really do all of this kinda stuff to get my attention.”

_Sure,_ Scapino thought to himself. _But it’s also a lot of fun._

Scapino hummed again and Robin said, “Anyway, I’ll be going to Ethiopia, and I’ll come right back after I meet my birth mom and maybe I could even convince her to come back to Gotham with me. Promise. And maybe,” he smiled hopefully. “Maybe she’ll want to stay with me this time.”

Scapino chewed on the inside of his cheek before asking, “Are you telling Batman?”

“Nah, it’s fine.” Robin’s countenance dampened. “He’s still being a douche about the Garzonasa thing. I don’t think he believes me, even after I keep telling him that I didn’t kill him. That he fell off the rooftop himself.”

Scapino focused on carefully intertwining their fingers before responding, watching his gloved fingers slide between Robin’s. “Really? He still doesn’t trust you enough?”

“I know, right?” Robin huffed a frustrated breath. “I’m his _Robin_. Why won’t he believe me?”

“Don’t worry, Rob, I believe you,” Scapino said sweetly. He leaned towards Robin eagerly, desperate to make him understand how far Scapino would go for him. “I believe you, you know I do. You should leave Batman and come with me. You can be free. Be your own hero and stop lingering in Dick’s former shadow.”

Robin rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Seriously? Do we have to always talk about this? I like being Robin. Gives me magic,” he joked.

“No, Rob.” Scapino edged closer to him, narrowing his eyes. “I know you. You like having fun. It’s just that Mama Harley and I’s fun is a little bit different than yours. Saving people is what you call fun, I guess.” 

“No, no, Scap. You don’t understa—”

“Will you _please_ listen to me?” He interrupted him, placing a calming hand against his armored chest. “I understand you,” he said with such determination that Jason quieted and listened to him, to Scapino’s relief. “I understand you better than Batman or Nightwing does. I know you so well; don’t even try to fight me on it.

“If you come with me, you could still do _all_ of this.” He gestured at the poorly lit streets below them. “You don’t have to worry about Batman not trusting you anymore or being a straight-up asshole. You won’t have to be hurt or frustrated by how horribly Nightwing treats you.” _Us._ “All you have to do is come with me.”

Robin sighed, looking away from Scapino’s pleading expression and to a lamppost that eerily emitted a burnt orange color. “I’m sorry, Scap. I need to stay with the Bats for now, no matter how much they piss me off. Maybe when I’m older? I like being Robin, and I don’t want to change that quite yet.” He rubbed his cheek. “Even if I keep getting in fights with B.”

They looked into each other’s eyes searchingly, wondering what the other was truly thinking. Scapino looked away first, hooking a hand on the rapier that remained sheathed by his side. There was a new scratch on it from last week when Jason found a crowbar behind a dumpster and they play-dueled. 

He exhaled. “Okay, Rob. But after you find your birth mom, will you please come back to me and at least consider coming with me afterward?”

“I’ve… I’ve gotta be honest with you, Scap. I don’t know if I want to leave the Robin persona behind, at least not yet; I haven’t had it for very long. Even with all of the problems with B and Dickwing, I _love_ it.”

Scapino reached for both of Robin’s hands and squeezed them, gazing at his domino-covered face. “But in the future, right? Like you said? You’ll stay with me?”

“Yeah, Scap. Even if you’re supposed to be a villain and I’m supposed to be a hero, we’ll still be friends.”

Scapino pouted, sitting down on the rooftop and Robin followed. “Why does that matter at all? I just do stuff for fun and so that I can hang out with you.”

Robin ran a hand through his mussed hair, chuckling slightly. “Sure, sure. I like hanging out with you, but you shouldn’t be robbing anything.”

“I’m not stealing coins from the homeless or whatever. Harley just gives me a list of people she’s good with going after.”

“Whatever, Scap.” Robin smiled at him fondly, making Scapino’s chest flutter. “You know, you’re a good friend. You make questionable decisions sometimes but… I’m glad they led to you meeting me.”

“Yeah, me too,” Scapino smiled back at him, holding up a pinky finger. “Together forever?”

Scapino wanted something more, but that could be another day’s discussion. They’ll be together for a very long time, anyway. Jason will never leave Tim’s side, and Tim couldn’t even _imagine_ leaving Jason’s.

Robin laughed. “What are we?” Little six-year-olds?” But he hooked his pinky with Scapino’s anyway. “We’ll always hang out, Scap. Even if Batman, Harley, or whoever tries to stop us.”

Eyebrows pinched, Scapino drew back in disbelief. “Harley would never.”

“Whatever. I meant what I said.”

Scapino cocked his head. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hey. You know what happens next, right?_
> 
> Comments and kudos are always very appreciated! Have a great day/night!


	5. The Right Thing to Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens in Ethiopia stays in Ethiopia... for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love ya, kitcat and robinlikeitshot! Thanks for betaing and helping out!
> 
> Are y'all ready for this? Regardless, please enjoy!

“N—no, no way. There’s no way!” Tim shouted, crossing his arms as he stared at Harley. 

Harley huffed out a breath, feeling so goddamn exhausted. She looked at Tim, her baby who she loved and adored and only ever wanted for him to be happy. To have fun. At this moment, she didn’t look like The Harley Quinn; she wasn’t feeling bubbly, she wasn’t laughing, she had a problem that couldn’t be solved with the smash of her mallet, she wasn’t excited, and this wasn’t funny.

There was nothing to laugh about. 

“He didn’t,” Tim shook his head furiously, his voice shaking with horror. “I don’t—I don’t believe you, you’re _lying_ to me.”

“I’m sorry, Scrappy-baby,” Harley attempted to soothe him, taking a step towards him, and opening her arms out to initiate an embrace. But Tim flinched away; that hadn’t happened in a while.

“He didn’t! He wouldn’t! He promised! And Robin would never break a promise. _Never._ ” 

_Goddamn it._ Harley hated herself so fucking much. She wanted to fling herself out the window and back to the Jo—Pam. She wanted to see Pam but… there was no way Pam wanted to see her right now. Not after what she had just done. Not after Harley cracked and went back on her word.

Harley bit her lip, red lipstick smearing on her teeth. “Baby… I’m so sor—”

“No!” Tim shrieked, turning to grab a glass figurine that once sat on their bookshelf and threw it to the ground, the both of them watching it smash into their hard wooden floor and splinter into thousands of pieces. 

Harley released a breath that she hadn’t realized she was holding. Those pieces were once a figurine of an Ace card that Tim had gifted her for her birthday.

“He wouldn’t leave me,” Tim shook his head, a crazed look in his eye that reminded Harley of herself. _What has she done?_ “He promised, Harley, he _promised_ he wouldn’t leave me.”

Stepping on the glass shards before Harley could stop him, he paced back and forth in their living room, knocking down a potted plant as he staggered. “I knew this would happen. I told him, I _told_ him not to go, but he said ‘No, Scap. I won’t leave you.’ He said that!” 

With wide eyes, Harley watched her son yank at his hair, sobbing. She rushed over to carefully remove his fists from his locks, suddenly remembering her days back in Arkham as she studiously took notes on the imprisoned with her favorite pen. When she was a psychiatrist, trying to not let her father define who she was. Trying to learn how to put herself first instead of letting others use and take advantage of her. Her endeavors looked like they were becoming worth something… until she met Jack—no, the Joker. 

She sucked in a breath as Tim attempted to fight off her hands. Her stomach curdled as she realized how much they were—

“Harley! I swear, he wouldn’t leave me. I’m not crazy, I remember! He promised!”

She gripped Tim’s wrists tightly as she led them to the couch. “I believe you, baby, that he promised that. I’m sorry but after my pudd—the Joker attacked him and his mother, he decided to leave and be with her.”

“The—the Joker?”

“Y—yes.” She squeezed her eyes shut as she remembered the sounds of the second Robin’s screams, echoing in the empty warehouse. 

“But he _promised_.”

_What the fuck was she supposed to do? She couldn’t tell Tim what really happened._

“I’m sorry, baby, but how do you know that for sure?”

“What?”

“How do you know that he would keep his promise?” She lowered her head as she held Tim’s hands. “The first Robin didn’t.”

She shouldn’t say it but… this was for his own good. It was, right? Regardless, her mouth felt filthy from the lies that were spilling from her lips. But she’s making the right choice for her son. She is.

-

“Shit,” she had muttered quietly to herself as the Joker dragged her by her skirt to his car. “What have… what have you done?”

Her puddin’ laughed. “You mean, what have _we_ done?”

Harley laughed back but confusedly. “That kid… he’s Scappy-baby’s friend.”

“And I had— _we_ had so much fun with the itty-bitty Robin! So much fun!”

Harley blanched. “I need to go.”

“Now, sweetheart,” the Joker grabbed her arm, his smiling eyes glinting at her dangerously. “Don’t be so _serious_. It’s not a good look on you.”

His head was thrown back as a loud smack pierced the air. She grimly watched the Joker rub his cheek before he cackled. “I had so much fun with you, don’t ruin it!”

Something fluttered in her chest. _With her._ He had so much fun _with her._ She… she shouldn’t ruin this. He was smiling at her even though she hurt him. Maybe she’s doing something right, this time. _Maybe,_ she thought as she played with the cuffs of her costume, _he’ll decide to stay with her this time_.

Harley flinched when she heard a yell. “Please!” She heard Robin shout, “Batman! Anyone!”

Harley turned to the warehouse, yanking her skirt away from the Joker’s hands. “I need to go,” she repeated.

“Wait, Harley!” The Joker yelled but she did her best to ignore him, running back inside and frantically untying the knots that kept Robin restrained.

“Ha—Harley?” he coughed. “Back for more?”

She glanced at the bomb’s timer that had been cruelly placed in front of Robin’s seat, muttering the remaining countdown to herself as she untied the rope. Goddamn it, why did she make them so tight? She could see the raw skin where Jason had been struggling against the restraints.

“I’m sorry, I’m just so sorry. I thought that—I just thought—I—” She let out a sigh of relief as her fingers twisted the last loop, the knotted rope unfurling around Jason’s ankle and the chair leg. “I’m really sorry, kiddo.”

“Are you…” Robin scrunched up his face, blood dribbling out the corner of his mouth and at one of his temples. “Are you betraying the Joker?”

“Ye—yeah,” she mumbled, grunting as she scooped him up into her arms, carefully looping one of his arms around her neck to keep control of the weight. _This is the right thing to do._ She exhaled before stumbling to the exit, Robin still in her arms. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let that go so far. I didn’t think we’d kill a birdy today. I was just so—”

“You keep—” Robin was cut off by excruciating coughs that made Harley consider putting him down. But they had to keep going, get as far as they could from the warehouse before it blew up. After a couple of moments of Harley waiting for Robin to continue, he weakly said, “You keep saying that.”

“Saying what?”

“Sorry. Are you _actually_ sorry?”

“Yes.”

He blinked, looking confused that Harley was acting so serious. “Oh. Okay.” He remained quiet as Harley guided him out before he lurched, more of his blood seeping into her dress, eyes wide as he whisper-yelled, “Wait, my mom!”

“ _What?_ ”

“My mom, we have to save her!” He cried out, but his voice was already so weak. 

Her jaw dropped. “Kid, _no._ She sold your little ass out. Her own kid. She’s too late for saving.”

“You know, people say that about you.”

Harley bit the inside of her cheek, gripping Robin’s tense body tighter to make sure he couldn’t free himself and attempt to save that bitch. “Sorry, kiddo. I gotta make sure you're safe first.”

“No one deserves to die like that, Harley Quinn.”

“Maybe but—” She was interrupted by the bomb exploding in the warehouse and they both flinched. The loud boom and shockwave caused her to nearly fall but she luckily caught herself before she or Robin hit the floor. “But it’s too late. And I need to get you outta here.”

“I—” Robin coughed again and she grimaced as spit mixed with blood flew out of his mouth. “I don’t… I don’t think…”

Her heart dropped in her chest as his words sounded garbled in his mouth, his eyes looking more dazed and less focused with each second that passed. “N—no, Robin. Focus, dear.”

“I’m… I’m tired.”

“Hey there, mister. You keep those eyes open, you hear me?”

“Sorry.”

“No need to apologize, lil’ birdy!” She chirped, faux cheerfully. “As long as you stay with me, now.”

“I thought,” Robin muttered, laying his head against her shoulder, “I thought that Batman would come and save me.”

She knows. She heard him screaming for him earlier.

“Hey, don’t worry. I’m gonna take you back to your dad. Stay alive for him, okay?” Harley said as firmly as she could muster, taking him across the road away from where she had run away from the Joker. Hopefully, he had left without her. _Gosh, she never thought she would think that._

Once she decided she was satisfied with the distance from the remaining smithereens of the warehouse, she knelt to the concrete floor and gently placed Robin on the ground. He muffled his screams as his wounds touched the pavement.

“Ha—Harley.”

“I’m sorry, Robby.”

“I don’t—I don’t wanna die.”

Harley watched with horror as Robin’s unmasked face contorted into a cry, eyelashes dampened with tears.

“Hey, now! Shut your piehole,” she said teasingly. “Everything is going to be fine; you’re _not_ gonna die on me. Nuh-uh. Not on my watch. I’m gonna make sure you get to your dad and—”

His eyelids drooped and she snapped her fingers in front of his face panickingly. “No! Stay awake, kid, I can’t be that boring!”

He smiled dazedly at her, not showing any sign of startlement from the snapping. “You might not be a superhero, but you can be a good person, ya know. You can change. And I know Scapino can change if you do too.”

“Oh shush! Now you’re talking utter nonsense! I need to get you out of Ethiopia and back to the states!”

“I don’t want to die here but… but it’s okay. Can you tell Scapino I’m sorry?” _Fuck._ “I promised I’d come back to him but… I don’t think I’m going to be able to keep it. Considering, ya know.” He vaguely waved a weak hand.

“Damn it, Robin. I—”

“Harley Quinn!” She flinched and reflexively moved to cover Robin’s body before recognizing that gruff voice. “What have you done?”

“I—I,” she stuttered as she slowly moved away from Robin’s body. “I’m so sorry, I don’t—“

“Is that—is that Robin?” He froze and drew back aghast before running towards Harley and his son. 

Harley looked back down at Robin to gauge his reaction only to realize, “Shit!” With a deepening sense of dread that left a heavy ball of fear in her gut, she realized that Jason had stopped breathing and when she desperately felt for a pulse on his neck and wrist, there was none.

“Oh god, Robin,” she moaned as she readied herself to perform CPR.

She wasn’t able to even do one compression when she was shoved to the side by a forceful black gauntlet, landing and skidding on the pavement, feeling scratches on her exposed legs and cheek.

“Goddamn it, Harley!” Batman shouted, an unmistakable fury underneath that cowl.

“Bruce! I’m sorry I—”

“You went back!” Batman screeched as he started compressions. ‘“You’re working with the Joker, again?”

“N—no, well, yes but—”

“ _What does that mean?_ ”

_I don’t know, Bruce. If I knew, I would tell you; I would tell myself._

“I—I tried to save him, it’s just that—”

He growled, “Just do breaths, Quinn!”

She could do that. She could do that no problem.

She couldn’t.

They tried. They tried so damn hard, sweat dripping from their foreheads as they tried to save Jason from the arms of death but it was all for naught as Bruce let out a strangled cry of rage and grief, sobbing as he turned away to slam his arms on the concrete ground.

“Bruce?” 

“ _You_ ,” Batman snarled at Harley, yanking off his cowl and exposing his face. She didn’t take a step backward, like how she would’ve all of those years ago; she stood firm. She’s been trained. “You did this to my son.”

She did. It may have not been her idea but she did contribute. She’s part of the reason why he bled to death; why there was blood pooling on the pavement underneath him; why her clothes were soaked with blood. She’s the reason why a father had lost his son.

Batman slowly stood up, his face utterly terrifying as he glared at Harley. “You did this.”

She said nothing and he took several more strides to her. “You did this!”

He wasn’t wrong.

He threw out a punch and she narrowly dodged it, precariously cartwheeling away. “B—Bruce, please.”

“Don’t you dare fucking say my name, Harley! What have you done?”

_What had she done, indeed._

She didn’t have the heart to punch back and soon she ended up in his grip, his gauntlets holding her by the neck and keeping her down on the ground. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice scratchy from being strangled, “Are you going to kill me now?”

“Why—why do _you_ deserve to live when _he_ couldn’t?” Bruce gasped out, hands spasming around Harley’s neck.

But for the first time in a while, she felt immeasurably calm. “I don’t know.”

His blue eyes menacingly narrowed at Harley and he squeezed tighter, causing her to choke. “Neither do I—shit!”

Harley’s eyes widened as Bruce was flung away from her by several green vines, holding him down. 

“Pam?” She cried out, wheezing slightly as she wobbly stood up. 

The woman she adored tucked a lock of scarlet hair behind a green ear and said nothing, scowling instead.

“I’m so, so, _so_ sorry. I—”

“Zip it, Harley,” Pam hissed, pointedly looking away from Harley’s ragged figure and instead watched Bruce futilely struggle against his living restraints. “Did you almost _die_?” She didn’t wait for a response before sighing. “Don’t answer that.

“Batman, if I let you go, you will return to your son’s body and not attempt to murder Harley.”

He thinned his lips before nodding in agreement. With a careful eye and a flick of her wrist, Pam ordered the vines to free him and she turned to Harley with crossed arms.

“Let’s go.”

Harley nodded mutely, watching Bruce crawl to Jason’s limp body and pull it into his arms, staring down at his son’s face.

“I’m so sorry,” Harley muttered to Bruce, her legs trembling as she stood up, backing away from the grieving father. 

He looked up at her with fury, arms still tightly holding onto Jason. “Leave, Quinzel. Get out!”

And then with Pam, Harley left, her clothing sopping with blood that wasn’t her own. What the hell was she going to tell Tim? She couldn’t tell him that Jason died; it would _destroy_ him. But she has to do _something._

When Pam silently dropped her off at her apartment and left to return to Robinson Park, Harley decided what she was going to do.

-

Harley wiped at her smeared eyeshadow as Tim stared back at her. “Jason _promised_ me that he would come back to me.”

She dug her fingernails into her palms as she stared at Tim’s face before murmuring, “He said he was sorry.”  
 _I’m so, so sorry I’m doing this to you,_ she thought. _But this is for your own good._

“He—He _left_ me.” His eyes swirled with unspoken emotions as he stared at the shattered glass figurine. “He left me?”

“I’m sorry—”

“He left me.” Tim repeated. “He _left_ me.”

_Was this the wrong move?_

“He left me. He left me. He left me. He left me.”

It was too late now. She had said those words and she couldn’t take it back. She reached out and hugged him tightly as he stayed worryingly still. 

“I’m sorry, Scrappy-baby. But I won’t leave you, it’ll be okay.”

“He left me.”

“I know, baby.”

“He left me.”

Harley slowly looked up from their enjoined hands to look at Tim’s face and was met with two glazed over eyes that stared into the open air. They were unclear and foggy.

“He left me. He promised.”

“Tim…”

“ _He promised._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that happened. Press F to pay your respects, things are getting _really_ interesting
> 
> Have a wonderful day/night y'all!


	6. Take a Walk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ll be happy with _him_ , Harley. I love him.”
> 
> “If you truly loved him, you’d let him go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you kitcat and robinlikeitshot for betaing <3
> 
> Please enjoy!

“Fuck, fuck, fuck this. I need to go,” Tim muttered to himself as he dropped himself to the ground and shoved a bundle of leggings into his suitcase, ignoring how utterly messy it was (and ignoring how Jason would be utterly disgusted by the disorganization). “I need to go, right now.”

Despite having difficulty concentrating on _anything_ , Tim tried to focus on the sleek black suitcase he was currently stuffing with his belongings, tossing a toothbrush amongst the disorderly clothes that were strewn about in the interior. He could steal whatever he may need along the way, anyway; he doesn’t need to worry about his toiletries too much.

“—ey! Tim!” A shrill voice shouted beside his ear and he flinched but did his best to show no other reaction to the sudden and loud noise. “I’ve been calling your name over and over, baby. What’s goin’ on?”

Harley, with two mussed pigtails resting on her shoulders, stood in front of him, rocking back and forth on her bright-pink colored sandals. A flimsy satin red bathrobe was slung across her shoulders, and the fabric crinkled at her elbows where she crossed her arms, staring at him with pursed, stained-red lips and an unreadable expression.  
“What are you doin’, love?”

“I—I need to go, Harley.”

“What?” Harley scrunched her nose, stepping forward, her flip-flops clacking against the cold tiled floor. 

His brain felt so _frazzled_ that he couldn’t even look at her face properly, and not frazzled in a fun way. He didn’t feel high on adrenaline, excited to tackle the next thing but just so amazed by what had just occurred prior that he couldn’t even think about the next thing quite yet. He didn’t feel like his brain was trying to take in all of the information given and absorbing as much as he could, feeling like he was on cloud nine. No, that wasn’t it at all. Instead, his brain felt like it was melting and couldn’t handle anything. It felt like it was self-destructing, bending before snapping at the beams, the foundation swept away. And that was frustrating the _fuck_ out of Tim.

“Go _where_?” Harley pressed, making Tim turn his attention back to her.

“G—go find Jason. He _needs_ me.” _He has to, right? Jason needs Tim, just like how Tim needs Jason. That’s just common sense._

“Oh, oh, _oh._ Baby…” Her face fell at his words, her fingers digging into her sleeves. “You _can’t_. I’m sorry, but you just _can’t_ go where he is.”

“I can! It—It’s fine, I’m sure—I’m sure he couldn’t have gotten that far, right? He’s no longer with Batman, right?” Tim nodded to himself. “Yes, yes, good. This is what he needed: to be away from Batman. Good, good. He just—” _God, he felt like he was trying to convince _himself_ of this._ He looked up at Harley with hopeful eyes, standing up unsteadily, fingers fidgeting by scratching at his thighs. “He made the right choice by leaving Batman behind—” Harley winced for some reason “—but he just—just made a misguided judgment by leaving me behind too. But it—it’s alright. I’ll—I’ll get him back.”

“Oh.” Harley took a small step towards Tim and he reflexively took one backward, making her stop in her tracks. “Oh, baby... I can’t… I _can’t_ let you do that.”

“Wh—what? You won’t _let me_?” Tim growled. “I love him! Of course, I’ll get him back! Just like how _you_ love the Joker!” Harley opened her mouth but said nothing. “Wouldn’t _you_ travel to Ethiopia and far, far beyond to get your lover back?” 

Harley said nothing which only fueled his outrage at her audacity to stand between what she has always taught him: you know you’ve found true love when you _know_ that you would do absolutely anything and everything for them.

“I love him so goddamn much, and he promised, he _promised_ that he wouldn’t leave me behind.”

“I’m sorry, Scappy!” She threw her hands in the air with a sickened, exhausted look on her face. “But he _did_. He did leave you behind. And he told me to tell you that he’s sorry too.”

“No, I don’t believe that he would leave me forever. He _needs_ me, like I need him. He wouldn’t just—just leave like that! He wouldn’t try to live a future without me! I know him!”

Harley inhaled a long stuttering breath. “Okay.”

“Don’t fuckin’ okay me!” Tim screamed, kicking the coffee table, making a potted succulent sitting on a stack of books fall over, dirt dispersing along the wood grain as it spilled from it’s pot. Harley stared down at it before looking back at Tim as he yelled, “Stop patronizing me!”

“Scappy, Scappy, look! Look at me, darling.” Harley walked up to Tim and carefully touched Tim’s cheek with delicate, warm hands that Tim shook off, reveling in the hurt expression that had crossed her face.

“I’ll be happy with _him_ , Harley. I love him.”

“If you truly loved him, you’d let him go.”

She winced at the sounds of Tim’s humorless cackles of a response. “Sure, sure, sure. Yeah, fuckin’ right. That’s some Disney princess bullshit you’re trying to feed me. Look at you, Harley!” He shouted, pointing a finger dangerously close to her face, making her cross-eyed for a split second. “What about you and the Joker! You love him but you’d _never_ let him go.”

“I—no—that’s not…” She started to tear up and her voice grew quiet, so quiet Tim had to lean in to listen to her words. “That’s not loving, baby. At least, it's not anymore.”

 _What?_

Tim drew back, astonished. “What the fuck are you talking about? That’s—that’s love! That’s _love!_ You love him so much that you simply couldn’t bear it if he left you behind for good! That’s love!”

“N—no,” Harley looked away from Tim’s eyes with a small turn of her head, making him internally flare with rage. _What? Is he too disgusting to even look at now?_ “What’s between the Joker and I isn’t—wasn’t love, Scappy-baby.”

“Stop!” He yelled, clapping his hands over his ears, squeezing his eyes shut before opening them to look at Harley. “Stop it! You told—you told me that that’s love, and I believed you! Of course, I did. It makes sense! It was—is love, that is love! What, did you stop loving him? You always said that you’re moving on to Pam, but that was just for show. You can’t just _stop_ loving someone.”

She sighed, blue and pink mascara-stained tears running down her cheeks. “It really wasn’t healthy for me, baby. I wanted him so bad but…” She let out a rattling breath. “It wasn’t _real_ love, no matter what I thought I wanted at the time. No matter what I had hoped.”

“Wh—what are you _talking_ about? Have you really gone nuts this time?” Tim dug his fingernails into the sides of his tights, using the stinging pain to focus. “Stop, _please_.”

“Scappy, you need to let him go, for your own health.” She bit her lip. “I don’t want you to end up like me.”

“I’m not you. Stop, Harley. I fuckin’—I fuckin’ need to go.” He shook his head and ducked back down to zip up the roller suitcase.

“Wait!” Harley yelped, grabbing Tim’s wrist. “You can’t go!”

“Wh—why?” Tim barked, balling his fists. “Why the _fuck_ not?”

“Well, Jason is—Jason is—”

“Well?” Tim snarled. “What, Harley? Jason is _what_ ”

“He’s, well…” She stared at the ground, hunching her shoulders. “He’s–”

The window was suddenly thrown open and a vine tendril curled at its handle before a woman launched herself into the newly lit room.

“What the fuck is going on?” Pam hissed, deliberately looking away from where Harley was standing, and instead at Tim.

_Damn, Pam’s in a bad mood. Tim could probably guess why. It’s been around a week since Pam brought Harley back from her trip with the Joker._

“Nothing,” Tim spat as Harley dropped the weight of her head into her palms with a gargled moan.

The room was filled with an intense silence before Harley slowly lifted her head and softly said, “Pam. Scapino is thinking about going off and trying to find Robin.”

“Not thinking, but rather _has decided to_ ,” Tim corrected.

“What? But—” Pam started before cutting herself off with a groan. “Seriously, Harley? I was seriously hoping you would make the right choice for once.”

_Huh?_

Tim narrowed his eyes at the redhead with vines twisting uneasily across her legs. _She wanted to leave._ “What choice?” Neither Pam nor Harley answered, Pam instead intently focused on carefully picking up the succulent that had fallen over in his fit of rage and must’ve alerted Pam to come over. “Whatever, I’m leaving.”

“Scap,” Pam said sadly, offering Tim a purple hyacinth with roots still intact and clumped together. “Robin’s made his choice. It’s about time you’ve moved on; from this Robin as well.”

“N—no,” Tim backed away from her and her flower that had been extended to him. “Jason wasn’t—he surely wasn’t thinking clearly. _Surely._ ”

“Tim.” Harley looked at him with tired eyes. “ _You_ aren’t thinking clearly.”

He lurched backward, feeling like he had just been shot in the chest. “F—fuck you, Harley,” he spat, grabbing his sheathed rapier off a shelf and buckling it into the side of his belt.

Harley let out a wounded sound but Tim couldn’t bring himself to give a shit.

“I _love_ him and he’ll be so goddamn happy that I cared so much about him that I had gone off to try to find him so that he’ll come back to Gotham. Come back with _me_.” Tim stood his suitcase up and reached for his masquerade mask that laid on the edge of the table. “Just you wait.”

“Stop, Tim,” Pam growled, vines wrapping around her wrists and fingers. “Go take a walk and get some fresh air. Rob a bank, burn down a warehouse, I don’t care. You’re being reckless and need to think things through before you decide to make decisions like leaving the country.”

“She fucking betrayed you too, Pam!” Tim shouted, looking up at her incredulously. “She promised you that she would stop! But it was a worthless, utterly _worthless_ promise because she couldn’t even keep it. She never does! Love stops at nothing! _Nothing!_ She went off with the love of her life—who is not you—and hurt both of us! How can you be on her side?”

Pam was silent and Tim continued, “She went off with the Joker, and did whatever the fuck they did that made Jason leave.” His face paled. “The Joker.”

“Baby?”

“The—the _Joker_ made Jason decide to leave. The _Joker_ made Harley and Jason break their promises.”

“Scap?”

“I’m going.” Scapino pulled on his high-heeled boots, determined and without a doubt (but maybe a few that he wouldn’t admit). “I’m going to make that bastard regret what he’s done to us, Pam.”

“You—you are?” Pam looked at him with confusion. _Oh, she’ll understand soon._

“Scappy—baby,” Harley cried out as Scapino walked to the front door, leaving his suitcase behind. “Please just stay here.”

“Fuck you and everything you and the Joker must’ve done to Jason,” he spat. “Things are supposed to be _fun_. This wasn’t fucking _fun_.” He gestured at her. “You got to spend time with who you love, but I didn’t get to!”

Harley stared at him with a crestfallen expression and Pam thinned her lips.

“I’m just—I’m doing what _you_ would do if someone tried to take _you_ away from _your_ puddin’.” Tim exhaled. “I’m not giving up on Jason, and I’m doing what I’d want Jason to do if someone drove _me_ away from him and Gotham.”

“Wh—which is?”

Scapino opened the door, and it creaked at the hinges. “Taking a walk.” 

And then he slammed the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man... the things that await in the next chapter...
> 
> Have a lovely day/night, everyone!


	7. It's Time for Vengeance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If you’re here for revenge, Batman, I came for it first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to kitcat and robinlikeitshot for their betawork!
> 
> Please enjoy!

Damn the Joker, this was all his fault. _All his fault._

Tim couldn’t breathe right. They were coming out in gasps, stuttery. As he nearly crashed into the edge of a building, for a split second, he wondered if he shouldn’t be grappling when he couldn’t even breathe correctly. But he dismissed the thought immediately; it wasn’t a thought of much value anyway. 

***

The day they first met had started with Tim playing with his laptop as Harley busied her hands with knitting hair accessories and hairbands for Pam. They didn’t always turn out that great but Pam always loved them and wore them, thanking Harley for her effort which always made her beam in return.

“Scappy-baby,” Harley sang as the metal needles clinked together, hooking the loops of yarn looping around the rods clumsily. The balls of yarn were strewn around the room, carelessly left wherever was most convenient.

“I'd heard there was a secret chord  
That David played and it pleased the Lord  
But you don't really care for music, do ya?”

Scapino gave Harley a soft smile before returning to pitter-pattering on the keys, glaring down at the code he was using to hack through the program's firewalls. 

“Well, it goes like this.” Harley twirled around the kitchen, the black and red skirt of her dress swinging and flowing around her, her hands clutching the knitting needles as she danced, her high heels tapping on the tiles. “The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift, the baffled king composing Hallelujah!”

“Hallelujah, Hallelujah,” Scapino softly cut in, his voice sounding more like a whisper and much quieter than Harley’s enthusiastic chirps. “Hallelujah, Hallelujah.”

Harley suddenly stopped and turned to look at Scapino, a huge brimming grin spreading across her face, a real joyous one lined with bright red lipstick. “Scappy! Yes! Well, your faith was strong but you needed proof, you saw her bathing on the roof.” She squeezed her eyes shut as she sang, her sharp black eyeliner contrasting her pale skin that had deep red eyeshadow dabbed on her eyelids. 

“Her beauty and the moonlight over through ya  
She tied you to the kitchen chair  
She broke your throne and she cut your hair  
And from your lips, she drew the Hallelujah.”

“Hallelujah, Hallelujah,” Tim whispered back as Harley jumped around the living room, throwing her hands up in excitement. 

Tim bit back a laugh as Harley swung her body over the couch to perform a simultaneously graceful, but clumsy, roll. He gave a few small claps as she bowed proudly, her eyes thin by how wide she was smiling. 

“Hallelujah! I love you, Scappy-baby!”

Merely smiling back, Tim nodded at her before moving to return to his work when he saw a hand on his window. A gloved hand on his window that can mean many things, before it slipped away. It could mean Dick Grayson. But a glimmer of hope flashed in him traitorously wondering, _Jason_?

Trying to ignore that his hands were trembling, he quit the program and logged out, quickly rewriting the code to ensure everything looked as if it hadn’t touched the program. He exhaled softly, shoving his freezing hands into the pockets of his oversized hoodie. He should wear his Scapino uniform. Everyone knew Harley Quinn and Scapino lived here. If this was the new Robin, he didn’t want him to know that it was him who had been pathetically crying on that rooftop a month ago. He may not recognize him but what if he did? That’s not a risk he could take. This new Robin is a new chance, and he seems better than the last.

Tim rose to his feet bringing Harley to give him an inquiring look from where she was laying on their living room carpet.

“Scappy?”

“I’m just gonna go outside for a bit, Mama.” Tim gave her an innocent smile, playing with the hoodie strings.

“Alright, Scappy-baby.” Harley picked herself up and reached over to where she had flung her knitting project. “Are you gonna be careful?”

“I never am, Mama.”

“Good.” Harley flashed a bright grin at him before it melted into a sweet soft smile. “Good,” she repeated but with a softer tone than before. A genuine tone that made something in Tim’s shoulders relax, even though he hadn’t known he was so tense.

He nodded to her with a small smile before ducking out of the room and heading for his closet. When he opened the small white door that led into where he kept his possessions, he stared. It had been a long time since he looked back at his suit. After Robin— _Nightwing_ had abandoned him, he couldn’t bear to wear it. The time he tried to go out in that suit with Harley—Harley had wanted to take his mind off of things by blowing up warehouses—the suit felt unbearable and suffocating. He couldn’t breathe in it and was practically begging Harley to take it off of him because he couldn’t think in it. His mind would race and suddenly his lungs would simply stop working, no matter how much he scratched at his chest and throat or wished they would start again. She told him that was a panic attack; he hated every second of it. They also never got around to blowing up those warehouses that night.

Every time after that night and he’d come to the closet to see how he felt about wearing it again, his throat would seize and he’d remember Dick telling him that he was leaving, his eyes telling Tim that he would never be enough. But now, Tim looked upon his uniform with new determination and a new Robin in mind. 

He slipped off the clothing he was wearing and exchanged into for the tunic. He hopped on one foot as he took off his socks to replace them with his heeled boots. But the corset that went over the tunic was what made him hesitate. It was the thing that was hardest to take off but… it has been going fine so far. He may as well keep on going. His fingers nimbly hooked the corset and he bit his bottom lip as he tied the lacy ribbon on his back. _He did it._ Strapping his rapier around his waist, he took a few breaths in and out before grabbing the tailcoat off of the hook and sliding it on. 

He played with the lacy edges of his coat, thinning his lips as he tried to mentally prepare himself. Taking his masquerade mask off of the shelf inside of the closet, he placed it over his face before tying the ribbons at the back of his head before glancing at the window. It’s time.

Walking to the window and opening the hatch, he took a deep breath and swung his body out, gripping the ledges and the bricks of the building that lent out. There were vines, courtesy of Pam, that embraced the building. He smiled at the reminder of Harley’s friend. It was always wonderful when they were getting along.

He flung himself onto the rooftop where Robin himself stood. He looked just like how he did that night before; curious.

“You’re Harley Quinn’s sidekick, right?”

Tim sharply inhaled before exhaling deeply. Scapino now smiled up at Robin tauntingly, stepping towards him. He admired how they stood at the same height, his eyes meeting Robin’s dead on. It was different than with Dick, the older boy having grown much taller and faster, thanks to their age difference. But this Robin? Or rather Jason—as he knows that Bruce had adopted another orphan, thanks to the gossip rags—was much closer to his age and height. Scapino likes that.

“You can call me that, Robby,” Scapino cooed. “You can call me anything you want.” 

Robin screwed up his face. “Why are you talking like that? You sound like the ladies on the corner.”

Scapino pouted. That’s not what he meant to sound like, not at all. Unless… “Do you like that?”

“Uh.” Robin blinked. “I don’t really care. Wait, you’re distracting me from what I meant to ask.”

“Oh? What did you want to ask, Robby?” Scapino stepped even closer into Robin’s personal space.

“Uh, number one, for you to stop calling me that.”

“What? What’s wrong with Robby?”

“I dunno, I just don’t fuckin’ like it.”

Scapino gave a toying smile, leaning into Robin’s face who immediately stepped back. “How about _Jay_ instead?”

Robin’s jaw dropped before it looked like a lightbulb went off in his head. “Shush!” He hissed, “Nightwing said you knew our identities but you’re not allowed to say in public!”

Tilting his head, Scapino crossed his arms. “I do what I want.” 

Robin growled, “Just call me Robin, okay?”

“But I like Jay. How about Jaybird? Stick to the birdy-birdy theme.”

“N—no,” Robin furiously waved his hands. “Call me Robin, and Robin only.”

Scapino looked at him with consideration, wondering if it was worth it to keep on calling him ‘Jay’, but he’d rather Robin like him so he shrugged. “Okay. What’s the other thing?”

“Um, Batman and Nightwing,” he said the last name in a tone Scapino couldn’t particularly identify, making him cock his head, “told me about you.”

“Oh?” Scapino repeated. “What did they say?”

“I’m not gonna tell you that,” Robin crossed his arms. “But I wanted to get my own opinion on it. I dunno why a kid like you is with a bad guy. Did Harley save you from somethin’?”

Scapino scowled. “Harley’s not a bad guy. She just likes to have fun. _We_ like to have fun.”

Robin looked like he was going to say something else but he decided against it. “Okay.” He shrugged. “What ya two do for fun is not very legal, though.”

“But legal’s boring anyway.” 

Robin didn’t say anything again and Scapino poked his shoulder. “Let’s do something fun.”

Robin frowned at him in response. “I shouldn’t. I just came to see what you’re like because Nightwing”—Tim flinched—”wouldn’t shut up about you.”

“Come on,” Scapino wheedled, brushing over the mention of Nightwing. “It’ll be fun! Promise! Pinky promise.”

The newly anointed hero shook his head before digging into his belt to grab his grapple, Scapino presumed as Dick always did the same thing. “Don’t think so. Imma go now.”

Scapino stuck his tongue out at him. “Coward.”

“Haha, don’t fuckin think so,” Robin shook his head, fiddling with the grapple before flinging himself into the air, pulling him to another building as he flew through the night. 

Scapino admired his silhouette before taking in a deep breath, internally congratulating himself on making it through the small interaction. He played with the lace along the sleeves of his tunic before slipping back through his window, a grin spreading brightly across his face. 

Yes. He liked this Robin a lot more than the last.

***

Scapino crouched on top of the building, watching the Joker prance around inside of the bank, followed by his many masked henchmen. Fury stewed within him. _Why should the Joker get to be in Gotham when Robin wasn’t?_

Taking a few steps back before launching himself onto the bank rooftop without much finesse, a quiet slam against the rooftop pierced his ears. Unsheathing his rapier with a sharp exhale, he made sure his mask was secured over his eyes before creeping over the side of the roof and plunging his rapier into the window of the bank’s bathroom. Glass shards rained down from the window frame and he shoved himself inside, ignoring the twinges of pain from the remaining fragments scraping at his legs and back before they numbed, his adrenaline overpowering the pain. 

A loud cackle echoed from the front of the bank and he flinched before moving to open the bathroom door which was thankfully unlocked. As he crept towards a nearby wall, he saw stacks of dollar bills being thrown by a dancing figure, a nauseating figure that he wanted to destroy. 

As he ducked down to grab his knives out of each of his boots, Scapino heard a loud crash before he saw Batman leap into the bank, his face stoic and cold as ever. Batman punched the Joker in the face before running after someone who was making a break for the hole Batman left when he busted into the establishment.

“Batsy! Missing your good wittle Robin, huh?” The Joker laughed and laughed and laughed, the horrible sound echoing in Scapino’s ears. 

Batman didn’t respond, instead taking down the rest of the henchmen, slamming their bodies into the floor. Scapino crept out of the shadows and lunged towards the green-haired man with a shriek.

“You took him!” Scapino screamed, burying a knife into the Joker’s shoulder.

Both the Batman and the Joker turned, Batman narrowing his eyes before silently going back to kicking down a henchman and the Joker merely laughing in Scapino’s face, his disgusting spit hitting Scapino’s face before he reached out to take the knife out of his own flesh and throwing it to the ground.

“Scapino, Scapino!” The Joker grinned at Scapino, ignoring the wound that freely flowed blood. “It’s been a while, I _missed_ you!”

“F—fuck you,” Scapino growled, his eyes wide as he scrambled to grab the knife. His hand is shaking, _why is it shaking? Stop fucking shaking._

“Oh, come on,” the Joker chuckled. “We’re like _family_.” He leaned in closer to Scapino’s face and he reflexively flinched away, wiping away the Joker’s spit with the back of his hand. “But your mommy wasn’t very nice the last time she came out to play with me.”

Scapino moved to shove another knife between the Joker’s ribs but the foul man immediately grabbed his arm before it could do any damage, squeezing his forearm agonizingly tight. 

“Get—get your hand off of me!” Scapino tried to wrench his arm out of the Joker’s grasp but to no avail as he continued to grip it tightly.

“I don’t think so, my little puppet,” the Joker grinned. His bright white teeth shined at Scapino and he wanted to punch them out of his mouth until only bloody gums remained. “I don’t want our fun to end so early.”

Batman turned to them, a yearning for vengeance glowing in his eyes as he slammed the last goon’s skull into the ground. “Joker,” he snarled, clenching his gauntlet-covered fists. “Scapino.”

Scapino merely glared back at him, stabbing Joker’s arm and twisting it into his flesh until the supervillain released him. “If you’re here for revenge, Batman, I came for it first.”

Batman strode forward, determination encased in every step. “Revenge?” His voice was gruff but also… uncertain.

“What?” Scapino laughed. “You’re not here for revenge? He was your _son_ , and you’re not here for revenge?”

“Alright,” the Joker snickered, leaping into the air and away from Scapino. “As much fun as this wa—” A Batarang buried into his thigh and he stumbled. “So you want to play, Batsy?”

“I don’t want to play,” Batman rumbled, lunging at him and knocking him down. “I want this to be _over_.”

“You’re going to kill him?” Scapino cocked his head, fingering the handles of his knives. 

“N—no.” He cleared his throat, his grip on the Joker loosening. “No.”

“What the fuck?” Scapino spat before leaping at them and stabbing the Joker’s thigh and quickly guiding the carefully sharpened knife down as if fileting it like a fish, the Joker howling in pained laughter. “I need to get back at him for _Robin_. I need to make sure he gets what he deserves.”

Batman grabbed Scapino’s arm and twisted it with a huff. “What the hell are you doing, kid? Get out of here! You don’t need—you don’t need _murder_ on your conscience.”

“I don’t give an ever-living _fuck_ about my conscience, I _need_ to do this.” Scapino flung himself away from him before gripping a knife tightly to run it through the Joker’s flesh. “This bastard is the reason why Jason is gone. We’d better make him regret it.”

“This is not…” Batman exhaled but it sounded more like a pained gasp. “This is not the way it should be done.”

“You’re off your rocker,” Scapino hissed as Batman tried to block him from the Joker’s body, the man continuing to laugh, getting more hysterical by the second.

“If the Joker is the reason why Jason can’t come back to Gotham, then I will kill the Joker. I will take care of it.” Scapino shoved a knife and left it where he estimated the Joker’s heart would be. “ _I will._ ”

“Stop, Scapino!” The Batman shouted. “You’re still a kid and you were Robin’s friend and so I don’t want to hurt you but—” He cut himself off when Scapino stabbed his remaining knife into the Joker’s neck, cutting all the way through his throat before pulling it out with a grunt.

“What have you done,” the Batman thundered as he swiped at Scapino, knocking him back onto his bottom, sprawled on the tiled floor. 

“I’m making things right!”

“This is not making things right. Two wrongs don’t make a right.” 

“Sure, if you’re doing fuckin’ _addition_ ,” Scapino snarled, getting up and shoving the knife into the Joker’s neck, again and again, determined to decapitate this person—not even a person, a _worthless_ excuse of a man who destroyed his life. “But if you do some multiplication, two negatives _do_ make a positive.” Scapino glared into Batman’s eyes that were shielded with white lenses by his cowl. “So what do we learn from that?”

“What?” Batman spat, sweeping a leg against Scapino’s legs knocking him back down to the ground, his head and upper body crashing to the ground.

With a bloody smile, Scapino looked up and said, “Everything is situational. It’s not as black and white as you’d hoped it to be, _Batman_. Grow the _fuck_ up.” 

Batman shoved Scapino into the ground, stopping him from delivering the last blow to the Joker. “Stop, Scapino. Robin wouldn’t want you to do this.”

Instead of responding in any way the Batman most likely would’ve wanted him to, Scapino laughed. “Get off your high horse, Batman. What have your goddamn morals done to help Robin, huh? He’s fucking _gone_ , and it’s your fault!”

“It was the Joker who did this—”

“But you contributed! You abso-fucking-lutely did!” 

Scapino merely glared up at Batman, feeling unprotected without his two knives that were usually sheathed in his boots; they were mostly a safety measure that he didn’t need to use. Usually.

“He’s fucking gone and it’s your fault, Batman.”

Before he could utter another word, he was punched in the gut, crashing into a nearby column. He wheezed for breath but felt his ribs shift painfully. The inability to breathe earlier was _nothing_ compared to now as every inhale was met with agony. He attempted to move out of the way of Batman but he was swung from his upright position into a heap on the ground as Scapino was pummeled into the ground with one, two, three, four, so many punches that he lost track, his masquerade mask breaking into pieces on his face. He let himself fall limp as he looked up at Batman’s face that was still covered by a cowl, and there were… either tears, sweat, or maybe both dripping from underneath his cowl. 

Pain sprung across Scapino’s jaw before the world went dark. Funny how the Batman was quicker to beat the kid who befriended his son, rather than the son of a bitch who’d murdered him.

Funny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. So that happened.
> 
> Yell at me in the comments please! Kudos and comments are very appreciated, and have a great day/night, everyone!


	8. What Happened to You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Batman!” She screamed, feeling hysterical as breath seemed to escape her. “Where is my _son_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you kitcat for their awesome beta work and for supporting me!
> 
> Please enjoy!

Harley squeezed her eyes shut as she wrung the cloth out into the water basin. “God, Pam. I’m so…”

Letting her words drift off, she glanced over at her friend who gazed sadly at the mangled boy who lay in his bed unconscious before going back to working on the medicinal paste she’s been making for him.

“You’re so _what_ , Harley?” Pam snapped, blowing a strand of curly red hair out of her face. 

“This is all my fault. If I didn’t let Robin die, none of this would’ve happened,” she muttered miserably as she cleaned Tim’s wounds so that she could rebandage them after.

Pam grimaced before replying, “Well, what’s done is done. All you can do is move forward and learn from your mistakes.”

Harley sharply looked up at her. “We aren’t telling him.”

The redhead sighed and shook her head exasperatedly. “Look at you, _not_ learning from your mistakes.”

“We can’t, Pam. _We can’t_. After what just happened? It would _break_ him.” Harley waved her hands as if trying to disperse the thought away. “He would never, _never_ forgive me. It’s better for him to move on from this.”

“Harley,” Pam crossed her arms. “You’re lying to him. To your son! Just like how _you_ used to lie to yourself about that bastard.”

“ _Pam_ ,” Harley pled. “Please just… don’t tell him. He’d never forgive me.”

“But what if he finds out? What if he finds out from someone who is not _you_?” 

“He won’t.” Harley repeated, “He won’t. I’ll make sure of it.”

“You don’t know if the Joker or Batman already told him before the Batman beat him nearly to death.”

Harley lowered her head as she delicately patted a medicinal paste Pam had made prior on a wound, worrying her bottom lip as blood leaked from the scrape. Batman had hurt and nearly _killed_ her son and she wanted to get back at him for it but… it was her who started all of this. It was _her_ who had cast the first stone that killed Robin.

-

When Tim stormed out of her apartment, with the resounding slam left behind echoing in her ears, Harley had cursed before running to open the door to stop him. 

“No,” was what she heard before she was met with a pale green arm, blocking her from leaving. “You need to let him cool off, Harley.”

Harley narrowed her eyes and revved herself up to argue before… deflating. “You’re… you’re right,” she admitted, rubbing her arm anxiously. “But…” Harley let out an incoherent yell of frustration before backing away from Pam. “I… Goddamn it. Fuck me.” 

Pam scowled and crossed her arms, eying Harley’s droopy position. “Welcome to being a mother, Harley. God, you’ve—” She laughed coldly and humorlessly, “you’ve really fucked up.”

Stumbling into her armchair, Harley sighed. “I know, Pam.”

She heard a huff of breath and turned her head to see her pushing a lock of scarlet hair behind her ear. “I should—I should leave..” 

She determinedly didn’t look directly at Harley as she moved to climb back out of the window, but Harley jumped up from the armchair where she was sitting.

“Wait! Pammy! Please.”

“What? What do you want?” Pam growled. “You chose the Joker. Again.” Harley squeezed her arms around herself and Pam continued, “I thought you were growing this time, Harles. You do this every time.”

“No, I—” 

“No, Harles,” Pam held up her hand. “No, you keep doing this. Don’t even try to deny it. You cry to me about the Joker and then I comfort you. You say that you will stop obeying his every command. You tell me you’re doing better. That you want to try dating me again. But every time, you give in—”

“Pam, I—”

“No!” Pam shouted. “No! You give in _every goddamn time_ and it’s so hard, so hard to hear this happen to you. I don’t know how much more I can take this.”

Harley stared down at her feet. “I’m sorry.”

Pam pinched the bridge of her nose. “We need to… we need to put Tim first, alright?”

“Yeah.” Harley rubbed the back of her neck, a frown on her mouth. “We do.”

They sat in unbearably tense silence with Harley staring down at her feet, nervously twitching her hands, as Pam crossed her arms. “I’m going back to Robinson Park.”

“Wha—You’re leaving?”

Pam exhaled harshly out her nose before curtly replying, “Yes.”

“Will you come back?”

“Yes.”

“You will?”

“For god’s sake, Harley,” Pam threw her arms up in the air before walking to the window that she had used to enter earlier. “Yes, I will. Just… you know what to do.”

Harley nodded. “The succulent.”

“Yeah,” Pam grumbled. “The succulent that _someone_ let fall.”

Letting out a small laugh, Harley smiled hesitantly at the redhead, her chest hurting when she smiled slightly back. “How long… How long should I wait for Tim? I’m worried.”

Harley can’t lose Tim. Not only is he her responsibility, ever since she decided to take him in and saw genuine tears—not crocodile ones brimm on his eyelashes, she vowed to make him happy. And maybe she could partly repent for allowing the Joker to wreak havoc on the Earth.

Pam hummed. “You know kids. He’ll be back.” She gripped Harley’s shoulders and grimaced at her ashamed expression. “He’ll be back and you _must_ make up for it somehow. Or else he might go to Ethiopia and chase a ghost that he will never find.”

Harley hung her head and nodded. “Okay. Thanks, Pam.”

She opened her mouth to say something before shaking her head and launching herself out the window, muttering something that Harley couldn’t make out. A wind blew in through the window after Pam and Harley slumped against the back of the chair.

“Come home, baby. Please come home.”

-

“Harley!” Pam had shrieked into Harley’s ear and she jumped out in her armchair, raising her hands defensively.

“What?” Harley squinted at her, blinking blearily. “Pam?”

“I just heard that Tim has killed the Joker, and _fuck_ , the kid is fighting Batman.”

Harley swung herself out of her chair, slinging off her red bathrobe and running off to her closet. “What the shit? _Joker? Batman_?” 

“Yeah! We gotta go, _right now_.” 

Pam waited impatiently as Harley pulled on a jumpsuit and grabbed her mallet. “Where are they?”

“At the bank. That one nearby that tea shop we both liked so much. The ones with the chocolate chip croissants you always got tons of whenever we went.”

“Fuck, okay, so not too far.” Harley grabbed her grapple. “Need a ride?”

“Hell nah, I’ll get there myself.”

“Alright,” Harley nodded, threw open the door to the fire escape, grappled out, and ran across the rooftops.

When Harley arrived in front of the bank, noting the shattered windows, and swinging herself down to the ground, she was suddenly met with a large, dark figure. “Batman,” she breathed.

He didn’t respond and her anxiety ramped up, her hands shaking around her mallet and grapple. “Wh—what the fuck did you do to my son? Scapino?”

He remained silent and Harley looked down to see blood on his gauntlet and suit and… everything. “Batman!” She screamed, feeling hysterical as breath seemed to escape her. “Where is my _son_!”

Batman only looked away from Harley, her figure trembling in the cold night. “Is this revenge? For what happened to Robin?”

With a quick motion, he grabbed Harley’s throat and she wheezed, feeling his wet gauntlet squeeze around her neck. “Don’t you dare mention his name,” he growled before his arms were whipped by a vine. 

“Get off of her,” Pam hissed. “What have you done, Batman?”

Batman released Harley who backed away, coughing. “He killed the Joker.”

“Good for—”

“He’s dead?” Harley cut Pam off, her voice was scratchy. 

“Which one?”

“What?” Harley blinked before fervently shaking her head. “I fuckin’, I need my son.”

Harley felt Batman’s gaze on her as she raced into the bank, nearly stumbling in her high heels that she’d never had a problem with walking in before, looking left and right and finding only the Joker’s goons. Running into the hall, she saw… Jack’s body. The _Joker’s_ body lying there and… his head seemed to be nearly severed from his neck. She looked away from the gruesome sight, focusing on a collapsed small body near the far wall instead.

“Shit,” she muttered as she crashed to her knees beside Tim, immediately feeling for a pulse. She exhaled a sigh of relief as she felt that thumping behind her two fingers, a rhythm she’d forever be thankful to feel. Although it was a bit fast, it was still there, and _Tim_ was still there. She cringed at the bruises around his face and the cracked mask that still sat partially on his face. There were some fragments missing that were no doubt scattered around the vicinity.

“What happened, baby?” She whispered, carefully removing the remnants of the masquerade mask that she remembered making with him. He was so excited when he had put it on for the first time, giddily asking her to tie up his hair with one of her ribbons to complete the look. “What happened to you?”

She gently looked him over for injuries, rage burning in her chest at Batman for doing this to a mere _child_. She felt tears slip down her cheeks as she mumbled, “This wasn’t a fight you were supposed to be in.” She stroked Tim’s hair, glancing at the Joker’s body. A demon had been defeated today, by her own son no less. She felt horrified yet drained at the same time, unsure of what to think of the two people her world revolved around.

“When you—when you became Scapino, you promised that you would just have fun. Not play the revenge game.” Her voice cracked and her breath stuttered.

“This isn’t fun. This isn’t fun at all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Harley...
> 
> Kudos and comments are very appreciated, and have an awesome day/night!


	9. Don't Leave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You… you left me,” Tim muttered, folding his arms around his waist, unsure of what else to do with them. “You promised you wouldn’t, Jay.”
> 
> Jason hesitated before locking eyes with Tim, shrugging nonchalantly. “I dunno what you expected, honestly. Those were just—those were just words, Tim.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to my beta kitcat, they're a lifesaver <3 And thanks robinlikeitshot for scheming with me 
> 
> Please enjoy this chapter, y'all!

“Hey there, Tim.”

Tim stared at Jason who shuffled his feet before taking a breath and standing tall, chest puffed in his iconic Robin pose that he had practiced so many times just so that he could get it right for when his big moment came. 

“You… you left me,” Tim muttered, folding his arms around his waist, unsure of what else to do with them. “You promised you wouldn’t, Jay.”

Jason hesitated before locking eyes with Tim, shrugging nonchalantly. “I dunno what you expected, honestly. Those were just—those were just words, Tim.”

Tim’s breath caught in his chest as he picked at his fingers, choosing to stare down at his hands rather than continue eye contact with the boy who he thought would always be there for him. No matter what. Just like how they promised each other, locking arms and watching abandoned buildings explode into a fiery haze as they giggled. “They were not—our promises were not just _words_. They were _promises_ , things we were supposed to take to our grave.”

Jason snickered, shaking his head as his yellow cape twisted around his back. “Come on, Timmy. If only you’d learn your lesson.”

His gaze hardened at the familiar nickname that didn’t feel right coming from Jason. “What,” he sucked in a breath, “What lesson?”

“Seriously? What do I expect from you? You’re about as dumb as a brick.”

“Wha—no, I’m—I’m smart,” Tim refuted weakly. “I know that,” he swallowed. “If there was one thing I know about myself, it is that I’m smart.” _It’s one of the only things he’s good for. It’s one of the only reasons why Harley would keep him around. She’d never admit it but… why would she keep such a burden if it didn’t benefit her, like hacking into a couple of financial networks?_

“Sure, Tim, whatever you want to think,” Jason hummed uninterestedly. “Anyway, I’d rather get going right about now.” He pointed a thumb at the plane behind him, a smug countenance on his face. “My mom got an even better job offer in another part of Ethiopia, and I want to go. It sucks around here.”

“In—in Gotham?” Tim’s questioned incredulously, his eyes wide in bewilderment. “But—but it’s Gotham.”

“Gotham’s a hell hole.”

“But this hell is our _home_.”

“ _You_ may settle for close to nothing, Tim, but _I_ have standards.” Jason raised an eyebrow. “See you later, kid.”

He turned on his heel to leave but Tim sprinted to him, grabbing his arm. “What? Jason! Stay with me. You’ve—you’ve finally left behind Bruce. Now it’s time to stay with me and keep your promise.”

The hero rolled his eyes exasperatedly and removed Tim’s grasp from his arm as if he was filthy. “Did you _not_ listen to me, Tim? I don’t want to see you ever again. You were never good to me, nor were you ever enough.”

Mouth agape and without any words to respond, Tim stared blankly at Jason. It felt harder to breathe with every second that passed and soon he was panting as Jason watched in amusement.

“You can’t even _listen_ to me speak the truth. Go to hell, Tim.” Jason turned on his heel and walked to the plane without looking back.

“You—you can’t leave.” Sobs started to pour out of Tim’s mouth as fat tears dripped down his cheeks and gathered at his chin. “P—please, you _can’t_. Jason, I—I love you, you can’t leave. Damn it, you _can’t_.”

“Fuck off,” Jason laughed, not even looking back.

Despite Tim practically begging his legs to move so that he can stop Jason from getting on the plane, his feet seemed cruelly stuck to the ground as he was forced to watch Robin walk away from him forever for the second time. “Please, Jason! Whatever you want, whatever you hate about me, I’ll change! I’ll change for you! I’ll do whatever you want!”

“You can never change,” Jason replied without remorse. “Go die.”

Tears continued to flood Tim’s vision and he could barely make out Jason’s brightly colored figure walking to his plane. Probably for the best. “J—Jason,” he whimpered. “Why?”

Jason didn’t answer and got onto the plane without a care in the world.

“ _Why? _”__

__-_ _

__Tim gasped and sat up in his bed before immediately regretting it as his abdomen ached in pain. A groan fell from his lips as he clutched at his stomach, regretting sitting up so quickly, slowly lowering his head back down to his pillow._ _

__“Baby? You’re awake now?” Harley’s familiar voice rang above him. “Don’t sit up, pretty-please.”_ _

__He blearily opened his eyes, wincing as the bright light pierced his vision forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut. “H—Harley?” His voice was scratchy from disuse and he coughed slightly in hopes of relieving that itchiness in his throat. Unfortunately, it did nothing to help, making his ribs ache instead._ _

__“Oh Scappy, my dear baby. You must have been having a horrible nightmare.” She dabbed at his face with a neon green handkerchief. “How are you feeling?”_ _

__Tim tried to shrug casually but regretted it once again as a sharp pain made itself known. He’s pretty sure his collarbone had been broken or at least fractured._ _

__“Do you...do you remember what happened, baby?” She asked lightly as if any harsher prodding would destroy him._ _

__He swallowed, staring down at the blanket that was laid on top of his legs. “Jason’s gone.”_ _

__“Oh, hon,” Harley breathed and carefully cradled his head close to her chest. “He is. But do you...do you remember anything else?”_ _

__He remembered his vision being hazy as the Joker squeezed his face with a grimy hand, calling him his little puppet. Tim remembered slamming a knife into the Joker’s neck, feeling relieving satisfaction as the bastard screamed and choked, his own blood muffling his laughter. He remembered Batman, in all of his caped and gauntlet-adorned glory, throwing him into a wall and punching the hell out of him as if he was an animal out of control._ _

__He remembered it all and it sent his body into shivers as he curled his fingers around the plush blanket. His lungs weren’t working right and when he tried to take a deep breath, he was sent into a hacking cough, feeling pain strum throughout his whole upper body._ _

__“Scappy?” Harley pressed a hand onto his shoulder, but he flinched back and she withdrew her hand, a deep frown set on her face. “Be careful with your breaths, love. Some of your ribs were cracked.”_ _

__Tim breathed as shallowly as he could before raising his face to look at his mom. “Harley?”_ _

__“Yes, baby?”_ _

__“I was… I killed the Joker, Harley.”_ _

__Feeling the drowsiness fade away he watched her unblinkingly as she fiddled with her fingers. “I…I know. I know you did, Scappy-baby.”_ _

__Monotonously, he continued, “Then why are you still here?”_ _

__“What?” Harley narrowed her eyes at him, her face barren of makeup, which was an unusual occurrence. Instead, her pair of wire-framed glasses sat perched on her thin nose._ _

___Huh_ , he thought. _She didn’t even put on her contact lenses today.__ _

__“I killed the person you loved.” He watched her eyes squeeze shut momentarily before she exhaled slowly._ _

__“I know, baby.”_ _

__He squinted at her, wondering if she had a concussion. “I killed the Joker with my own hands and knives. The knives you bought for me.”_ _

__She looked away from him—to block his view of her face, surely—but not quick enough as he saw a tear run down her cheek. “You did. And I’m...it was for the best.”_ _

___What._ “For the best?” He asked incredulously. “I killed the person who you loved with all of your heart and all you can say was that it was for the best?”_ _

__Harley brushed off the tear and returned her gaze to him. “That’s all, really. I told you, baby, I told you that wasn’t love. I should’ve—I should’ve broken away from him much earlier, but I couldn’t. I was reliant on him and he just saw me as a toy.”_ _

__Tim sat silently before whispering, “He’s dead now.”_ _

__“Yeah,” she nodded. “He is. I don’t really know how to feel about it, quite honestly. I don’t think it’s hit me. I’m just—” she sucked in a breath “—I’m just worried about you right now.”_ _

__“M—me?”_ _

__“Yes, you.” She smiled grimly at him, reaching to comb his hair back with her fingers. “Do you remember what happened after you k—after you made him go away?”_ _

__He snorted—and immediately regretted the action as pain seized his chest for a second. “You don’t need to sugarcoat it, Harley. I’m a murderer, now. I know.” Harley thinned her lips and didn’t reply, so Tim continued, “Batman came and tried to stop me from killing him. Even though it was the Joker who made Jason stay in Ethiopia and away from Gotham. He tried to stop me from getting revenge.”_ _

__Harley’s countenance was unreadable and Tim sighed. “Now that the Joker is gone, Jason should come back, right? The person who he wanted to avoid is gone, so he should be fine with coming back to Gotham.” He nodded to himself. “Yeah, that makes sense.”_ _

__“I’m sorry but I don’t think that’s how it works, Tim,” Harley said, her voice filled with indistinguishable emotions._ _

__“Why not?”_ _

__Harley shook her head, her blonde hair shifting along her shoulders as she did. “I’m sorry. Humans aren’t very logical sometimes, no matter how much we wish they were.”_ _

__Tim stared back down at his fingers, his fingers that were stained with blood the last time he was conscious, battling for vengeance. “I miss him.”_ _

__“I know.”_ _

__“I love him.”_ _

__She inhaled a quick breath and he rushed to reassure her, “No, it’s not like you and the Joker. Robin and I? Jason and I? We’re special. We’re good. We make each other _happy_.” _If Tim made Jason happy, then why would Jason leave him?_ He faltered, his shoulders slumping. “I thought… I thought he was happy.”_ _

__Harley bit her lip. “I’m sure he was, Tim.”_ _

__Not responding to her words, Tim continued to stare down at his hands. “I thought he was.”_ _

__Harley reached to wrap her hands around Tim’s making him look up to look at her face, staring blankly. “Yeah?”_ _

__“Tim, I—I need you to stay with me, baby.”_ _

__“What?”_ _

__She looked at him pleadingly, squeezing his fingers. “You can’t run off to Ethiopia. _Please._ Stay here in Gotham, and Pam and I will take care of you, alright?”_ _

__“Wha—no.” Tim shook his head, pulling his hands away from hers. “What about—what about Jason? I need to be with Jason, and he needs to be with me.”_ _

__“Baby, Jason _can’t_ be with you right now. He’s left you here in Gotham.”_ _

__“He left me,” Tim parroted back, his mind not cooperating with him. “But it was just… it was just a lapse in judgment. He made a mistake.” The dream he had of Jason echoed in his head._ _

___Why would Jason ever want to stay with someone like Tim? Was it Tim who had driven Jason out of Gotham, not the Joker? When Jason went to Ethiopia and found the good person he’s been looking for all along, did he realize he no longer needed Tim?_ _ _

__Tim took in a stuttery breath that made his ribs shift painfully and uncomfortable. “I’ll stay,” he muttered, his voice so quiet he had no doubt Harley had a hard time hearing it. “I’ll stay.”_ _

__Beside him, he heard Harley release a huge breath in relief before gingerly wrapping her arms around him, carefully avoiding hurting him further. “I’m glad, Scappy. I’m so glad.”_ _

__Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a wisp of colors standing in the corner of the bedroom. Leaning out of Harley’s embrace, Tim turned his head to look, feeling his breath escape him as he saw a familiar figure lean against his wall in the way he’d seen so many times._ _

__“Robin?” He whispered, but Harley shook her head._ _

__“It’s best that you move on now, Scappy.”_ _

__“But… but Robin is there.” Sitting up taller in his bed, he pointed at the costumed hero who waved back._ _

__She glanced at the corner of the room where he had pointed but didn’t seem to see what he was seeing as she huffed out a breath and hugged him even tighter. He gasped quietly in pain but didn’t say anything more._ _

__“Oh, Tim. He isn’t.”_ _

__“But he _is_.”_ _

__“I’m not,” Robin finally said, his voice was as sweet and welcoming as Tim remembered. But instead of the smile that normally developed on Tim’s face, his eyebrows furrowed and his lips pressed together in confusion. “I’m only here because you want me to be._ _

__“Happy?”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, hey! Look at that, Jason's back! Well, sorta hehe 
> 
> I've got lots of plans and oh dear, hold onto your horses because Tim's _not_ going to have a good time (or will he?). Also, I added "hallucinations" to the tags for obvious reasons
> 
> Yell at me in the comments please, I love to hear your thoughts and they brighten my day! Have an amazing day/night!


	10. Reminds Me of Jason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Y-you’re not _real_ ,” Tim muttered to himself.
> 
> WIth a cocky smile, the hallucination of who he once called his best friend, his _Robin_ , tilted his head. “Better than nothing.”

Scapino thinned his lips as he brought the dagger’s edge down onto the Japanese whetstone and scraped it against the coarse surface, carefully holding a hand to the stainless steel as he kept an eye on the Youtube video tutorial. Nobody was willing to teach him. He had to figure it out himself.

_“What are you doing?”_

He flinched. Taking a shuddery breath, Tim continued to sharpen his dagger. 

“Not gonna say hi to me?” Robin crossed his arms with that goddamn huge smile on his face, relaxed against the wallpapered wall. “Didn’t think you’d be so rude to someone you consider your best friend.”

Tim bit his lip, feeling skin come away and tasting a hint of copper. “Y-you’re not _real_ ,” he muttered to himself.

With a cocky smile, the hallucination of who he once called his best friend, his _Robin_ , tilted his head. “Better than nothing.”

Lowering his eyes, Tim concentrated on the edge of the blade. “Really? Maybe I’d be better off not hallucinating. I’m not—I”m not on any drugs or hallucinogens or anything. I shouldn’t be hallucinating.”

Robin snorted, waving off his shitty, futile attempt at convincing himself of his sanity. “Don’t kid yourself. You’ve got a fuckton of attachment issues, separation anxiety, and stuff. You want me so much, that you force your brain to conjure up a hallucination of me to keep you company. Freak.”

Tim didn’t reply, instead of remaining focused on his dagger. “Why do you keep coming back? Just leave.”

“Pfft. Yeah, right. You want me to leave?”

“Yes.” He tried to pretend that his voice didn’t shake as he spoke that single syllable. He pulled the dagger away to pour more water onto the whetstone. 

“Fuckin’ liar.” Robin moved to stand in front of Tim, his domino mask still shielding his eyes from Tim’s gaze. “I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want me to be.”

And the sickening truth was that Tim _did_ want him to be here. He _did_ want him to stay. But damn it. Tim missed Robin so goddamn much and wished he’d come back. Even though he had left him behind. _No._ Robin had left him behind, and Tim should be angry. Furious, even. Right?

“You left me,” Tim muttered, wiping the flat of his dagger with his fingers before going back to sharpening it. “Even though you promised.”

“Hmm.” Robin shrugged. “But I’m not him.”

“What?”

“Remember?” He bent closer to Tim and he could’ve sworn he almost felt his warm breath on his cheek. Almost. “I’m not him. He left you behind so that he could be with his mother in Ethiopia. I’m just a figment of your imagination.”

Tim didn’t respond.

“So I’ll stay. I’ll stay with you even though nobody has before.”

“N—no.” His dagger stilled between his fingers. “Harley has stayed with me.”

“Sure. But she’s the one who made Robin leave in the first place, remember?” Robin grinned, holding up each finger as he counted. “First was your mom and dad, and then Dick Grayson—” Tim bared his teeth at the name. “—then Jason. Only a matter of time before Harley leaves you. For good, this time.”

Tim put down the steel dagger with a clatter, breathing heavily through his nose. His hands curled into fists as his chest got tighter. “Stop.”

“You know I’m right.”

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

“S—Stop!” Tim shouted, clamping his hands over his ears and crouching to the floor, away from Robin’s formidable silhouette. “Stop talking!”

“No, _Tim_ ,” Robin tutted, shaking his head condescendingly as Tim watched him out of the corner of his teary eyes. “That’s rude. Don’t tell people to not talk.”

Shaking and trembling, Tim hugged himself, feeling his tears dampen his shirt. 

“Well?”

“W—well, wha—what?”

“Apologize.” Robin smiled. “Be a good person for me.” Tim’s body convulsed. _A good person._ “Say sorry.”

“S—sorry.”

“Good. I forgive you, Tim.”

Tim felt his shoulders relax as Robin’s murmured words that were suddenly so much softer and sweeter than earlier. They were kind, and just like how Jason used to sound when he still hung out with Tim.

“Robin, I—”

“Scappy!” Harley hopped down the stairs, three at a time. “Are you alright? I think I heard some shouting.”

Freezing before blankly fixating his gaze on her, Scapino responded, “It’s nothing, Harley.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Robin was no longer there. _He always left when Harley came around._

“Scappy, I was thinking that—”

“Bye, Harley,” Scapino swiped his dagger from the table, leaving the whetstone and sharpening supplies behind. 

“Can I—can I ask where you’re going?” Harley looked crestfallen at his blunt replies but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Maybe in the past, he would’ve. But now? All he felt was empty and void of any desire to appease her.

He shoved open the window, suddenly aware that he wasn’t wearing any pieces of his uniform. Scapino boredly turned around to stare at Harley who was pulling on a red sock. “Outside.” And then he flung himself out and onto his rooftop, hearing Robin’s soft laughter in his ear.

\- 

Scapino strode down the grimy hall, his high heels clicking steadily against the floor like a metronome. He contemplated leaving the duffel bag he had used to bring the large jugs of gasoline on the floor of the warehouse, left to be engulfed by the flames that Tim would soon unleash. He was about to set the whole warehouse on fire, just like the good old days. He hadn’t done this since the last time he did it with Jason… Jason loved fire. 

Normally, he felt this… this _rush_ of adrenaline, this excitement that built up in his chest before he breathed out a heavy breath that made him feel lighter than ever. He would want to burst into action, tease Jason, and test his limits.

Why… why doesn’t he feel like that? What changed?

“What have you done?” A voice whispered beside Scapino’s ear, making him flinch away before relaxing into it. 

“Hey Robin,” Tim lit up, bouncing on his heels. “Robin, I’m getting ready to light this place up!”

Robin frowned uncharacteristically, making Tim want to curl into himself. “Why?”

“Wh—what?” Tim blinked, his excitement at seeing Robin diminish. He adjusted his stance, noticing the absence of his rapier that used to be kept by his side. He no longer carried around that thing anymore. There was no need to.

“And it brings back memories,” Robin cut in with a sly grin. “It reminds you of _Jason_.”

Tim took a step backward away from Robin, despite knowing that he wasn’t a solid being that was here in the first place. He wasn’t real. He’s not. Tim’s not crazy. “Jason means nothing to me,” he spat, knowing fully well that he lied through his teeth. And he wasn’t fooling anybody.

“Sure.” Robin crossed his arms, an eyebrow raised on his face. He was unconvinced, to say the least. “Sure. You’re just hallucinating me for fun.”

Tim squeezed the straps of the duffel bag still within his grasp, walking out of the warehouse, and making sure he didn’t accidentally step in any of the gasoline he had poured out earlier. “Be quiet.”

Robin barked out a rough laugh, shaking his head disappointedly. “You’d _never_ want me to be quiet, Timmy. Apologize.”

Tim looked over his shoulder to look at Robin who was trailing behind him. “I—” he blinked “—I’m sorry.”

“Good, Tim,” Robin cooed, and Tim’s heart traitorously _leapt_ at that. “Now, you will _not_ light this place on fire.”

“I will not—what?” Tim blinked confusedly, pulling out the matchbox he had bought from the dollar store a couple of hours ago. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because that’s _bad_ , Tim. That’s wrong. You shouldn’t do something so immoral. At least _try_ to be a good person.”

“Oh, fuck you,” Tim grumbled, trying to hide his fumbling with the matchbox, his fingers shaking enough to hinder his attempts to pull out a match. “Always on about this goddamn good person bullshit. You used to be fun.”

“Hey!” Robin barked, glowering at him. “You’re being horribly rude.”

Tim felt his whole body flinch, but he continued to light the match. “I need to do this.”

“Why.”

“Because,” Tim glared at the match, his fingers shaking as he loosely grasped the tiny stick. He knew he wouldn’t be able to look Robin in the eye. “Because I can’t feel anything!”

Tim huffed as he scraped the match against the surface of the box, watching a flame grow. “I can’t feel anything. I can’t feel any—any rush of adrenaline or that burn of excitement as I risk everything I have for a single moment.” He turned to look at Robin, his vision blurred by tears he didn’t even know he was crying. “You—you know, when I grappled here, I almost died. I almost didn’t catch myself in time and I was almost splat on the sidewalk. But I felt _nothing_.”

Robin reached out to touch Tim’s cheek, but his hand never made contact with Tim’s skin. “Tim. You’re crying. You must feel something.”

“It—it’s not what I—what I _want_ to feel. I want to feel _happy_. _Excited_. Overjoyed. Is that—is that too much to ask?” Tim hiccupped as he watched the lit match flicker out thanks to a gust of wind. He tossed it aside and took out another match. 

Robin withdrew his hand and Tim inwardly mourned its loss as Robin gave him a pointed look. “Don’t you dare, Tim.” 

Tim breathed out, “I dare. And I must.”

With one swift motion, he lit the match and tossed it into the warehouse before grappling out with his duffel bag still in hand, Robin’s hallucination following him as he fled to several rooftops away. He could barely hear any of Robin’s shouts as the wind rippled around him, dropping his duffel bag and flinging himself onto a cement rooftop that he rolled onto to reduce the impact.

“—be so _stupid_?” Tim heard Robin yell, drifting close to him. “I can’t believe you, Tim. You’re _nothing_. You should _never_ do that again. This is arson, Tim. _Arson._ ”

Trying to hide how Robin’s words affected him, Tim muttered, “You’ve never cared before. You liked this. We had fun.”

“Sure,” Robin snorted, a malicious glare in his eyes. “Maybe I was just pitying you and pretending.”

Shocked, Tim stood still and unblinkingly. Could—could Jason have been _pretending_ this whole time? Was he really Tim’s friend? He’d left him, after all. Pushing those thoughts aside, he decisively shook his head. Jason was his friend. He was. He was.

Tim looked in the direction of the warehouse that was currently in flames, the fire beautifully lighting up the night. Besides the fire engines that sped towards the building that was completely engulfed in golden and scarlet flames, the night was calm. He didn’t feel that rush of adrenaline he had hoped he’d feel but… he guesses he’ll have to try something else.

“You’re a goddamn son of a bitch, Tim.” Robin steeled a gaze on Tim, his canary yellow cape flowing behind him. “It’s hard to believe I used to think you were redeemable.”

 _Him?_ Tim thought to himself in disgust. _Redeemable? What a waste of headspace._

-

Tim glared at the blonde girl who whooped after successfully disarming a mugger, allowing their victim to run away free and unharmed. He sat on the rooftop, dangling his legs off the sides of the building. 

Robin sat beside him, tapping his fingers. “She’s the new Robin.”

“I know.”

They sat in silence before Robin jumped up. “We should go meet her. This is important.”

“I don’t want to,” Tim sneered, fidgeting with his dagger. He needed to sharpen it again. It’s getting rather dull. “She’s _nothing_ compared to you.”

“Hmm.”

“And it’s fucking disgusting of B—Batman to choose a new Robin so soon after you died. It’s disgusting of him to get another one after you died in general. It’s like he replaced you.”

“He didn’t… he didn’t replace me, really,” Robin disagreed. “Just like how I didn’t replace Dick.”

Tim scowled at the mention of the former Robin. “I said to stop talking about him.”

“And I said that I don’t care. I can and I will.”

He rubbed his temples, feeling a pain grow in his head. “You’re not even real.”

“That doesn’t matter in the slightest,” Robin replied before hopping off the roof, dropping down to ground level.

“Sure, it doesn’t,” Tim grumbled to himself, adjusting his mask before grappling down. 

When she turned around to see him, she gasped, “You’re Scapino!” to his surprise.

He stared at her blankly, rage growing in his chest. “You are… you’re the girl Batman hired to replace Robin.”

Her confidence weakened considerably as she blinked. “I, well, yes. I guess. You can say that, I suppose. But I’m the new Robin.”

Scapino snarled, “You’re no Robin” but she pretended to not hear him.

“She’s so,” Robin studied her. “She’s happy. She’s having fun.” And then he smiled warmly and Tim’s breath was taken away. “Robin gives you magic.”

“I know, Robin.”

“Hmm?” She turned her head to look at him questionably.

His blood curdled at the idea that _she_ would respond to _Jason’s_ name. “I wasn’t talking to you,” he spat. “Get the fuck away from me before I do something you’ll regret.”

She looked at him with this… this expression that he couldn’t decipher. It stoked his fury a bit more, annoyed that she was trying to figure him out.

“Nightwing says hi.”

“Nightwing needs to fuck off.” And then he left.

-

Everything burned. _Everything._

He gasped for breath but his efforts were futile as only liquids poured into his mouth and nostrils, causing the pain to spike up impossibly higher. His head was murky and his thoughts felt too compact. Everything was too loud. Too loud.

Kicking the water and trying to swim upwards, fighting the agony that tried to drag him back down to the bottom of wherever the hell he is, he managed to make it to the surface, choking on the acidic liquid.

He fought to stay above the surface, not wanting the liquid to enter his mouth again. His throat _burned_. He opened his eyes, squinting and trying to keep any of this… _green_ water from stinging his eyes. 

“Jason Peter Todd.” A brunette in a lavish emerald evening gown crouched down to meet his eye level. She smiled dangerously at him and every instinct in his body yelled at him to either run the fuck away or to tear her from limb to limb. “Welcome home. And back to life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have added Stephanie Brown to the tags for obvious reasons. We'll be seeing more from her, as well as Robin ;D
> 
> Sorry for the late update, and I hope you enjoyed this! This chapter is probably my favorite that I've posted so far, even though it was quite a struggle to get out in words XD Also, you might have not noticed that I flip between the names "Scapino" and "Tim". Yep, there's a reason for that.
> 
> Thank you all for reading and please scream at me in the comments! Have an awesome day/night!


	11. His Childhood Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He heard a sharp cackle and with wide eyes and a sinking heart, Dick looked up to watch Scapino laugh humorlessly before saying, “It was never meant to be, anyway.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I'm really sorry I hadn't updated last week. The writer's block is hitting hard, but I promise that I'll continue to do my best to get this out every week. Thanks for being patient with me and reading this fic <3
> 
> Please enjoy!

Scapino hummed as he played with his hair, contemplating tying it up into a bun. Harley no longer braided his hair for him and his hands trembled too much when he tried to do it for himself. His thoughts were unusually calm and hush that night as he stood on top of the rooftop, gazing upon the concrete jungle of Gotham, that is so often ravaged for wealth and selfish gain by the predatory businessmen and supervillains. He sometimes wonders if there is a difference between the two.

“Don’t jump,” Robin whispered beside his ear, and Scapino didn’t even flinch. He’s used to it now.

“I won’t,” Scapino replied. His deft fingers twisted and intertwined with his locks of hair as he hummed a song he remembered Jason once sand while they sat side by side. His hair was suddenly pulled taut as he flinched in surprise when he heard a voice he hadn’t heard in _years_.

“Timmy?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Scapino watched Robin curiously peer at the man before sneering, crossing his arms.

“It’s him,” Robin said.

Scapino’s blood felt frozen in his veins as any calmness and relaxation that was once within him had escaped him and was replaced with tenseness and rigid shoulders. It was a sharp contrast to what he felt prior and he wished that he would just leave him again as he did so many years ago.

“It’s _Scapino_ to you,” he replied coldly. He heard Robin’s snicker beside him and his shoulders eased. Just a little bit.

“Ti—uh, Scapino. It’s been a while, huh.”

Scapino stood to turn to face the man he once thought he knew, the man he thought he once _understood_ , goosebumps crawling across his exposed skin as a shiver running down his spine. He stared at Dick’s uniform. That uniform he wouldn’t have been able to recognize if he hadn’t spent hours and _hours_ pouring over newspapers, wondering where he went wrong. Those months where he wondered what he had done to chase him off and away from Gotham. 

Instead of the fury he thought he’d feel at seeing it up close and in person, or at least similarly to how angry he’d feel when he’d see the great Nightwing printed onto newspapers, he felt… nothing. He felt _empty_. And he wasn’t sure whether he liked that. Liked being void of emotions.

All he knows is that he felt in control, he thought. Since there aren’t any emotions making him run amuck, he wasn’t blinded by foolishness. This was good. This was good. Right?

Tim heard Robin speaking, but he couldn’t understand him, only hearing murky indistinguishable sounds as if he was drowning in water. 

“Scapino? Are you alright?” 

His breath caught as he remembered that horrible day when Dick had said that same thing to him, so long ago, echoing in his head.

-

“Scapino?” Dick tilted his head, shifting with his duffel bag that hung over his shoulder. “Are you alright?”

Tim stared up at him, his _hero_ as he stuttered out, “You’re—you’re leaving? To Blüdhaven?”

“Yeah. “Dick rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, giving a small smile. “I need to get out of Gotham for a bit. You know, figure out who I really am without B constantly hovering over my shoulder and watching me like a hawk. You get it, right?”

No. Tim doesn’t get it. So he shook his head. “N-no, I don’t get it. I really don’t understand. Sure, leave Batman. But stay with me. You don’t have to leave Gotham, you’re _Robin_.”

Dick laughed ruefully. “I think I need to figure things out. I’m coming up with a new alias and Blud haven should be a fresh start.”

Tim’s world was crashing and burning all around him. Everything he thought he knew as truth and everyone he would follow to the ends of the world, is turning into a lie. _A lie._ Tim doesn’t like lies.

“You—you promised!” Tim shouted, anger flaring through his body, like electricity fusing through his fingertips as he pointed an angry finger at Dick. “You said you wouldn’t leave me!” 

“I—Tim, it’s—”

“Dick! You said! You said that, so many times!” Tim steeped in his rage before bouncing up with enthusiasm. “I’ll go with you.”

“No, Tim.”

“What? Why not? I want to stay with you.”

“No, you’re with Harley, remember? She takes care of you and you, her. You’ve become family, I can’t take you away from her.”

“Fine. But you _need_ to stay in Gotham!”

“I don’t need to stay in Gotham, Tim. What I need is to get out of here. You need to stop acting like a spoiled brat about this, I thought you’ve grown from this… this immaturity.”

“I’m not being a spoiled brat! I just want you to stay!” Tim shouted, grabbing one of Dick’s arms. “Please, Dick!”

“Stop shouting my name, Tim.”

“Okay, fine, ex-Robin,” Tim said bitterly, making Dick wince. “You can’t leave. You’re Batman’s Robin, though, you can’t leave.”

Dick laughed coldly, “B has made his opinions clear and so have I—” His adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “I need to leave.”

“But what about me!” Tim waved his arms despairingly. “What about my opinions? I don’t want you to leave. Please don’t leave.”

“I’m,” Dick sighed midway through his sentence. “I’m sorry, Tim. I need to do this.”

“Go all the way to Bludhaven?” Tim asked incredulously. “That’s hours, Dick, _hours_ , away from here.”

“I know, Tim,” Dick nodded grimly, crossing his arms as if he was trying to block himself out of the discussion.

Tim scrambled for any way to keep Dick in Gotham. “What—what about Barbara, huh? You’d be leaving your Batgirl. Abandoning her. I thought you love her.”

Dick groaned, running a hand through his hair. “I-I do, it’s just that.” He sighed again. “It’s complicated.”

“ _It’s complicated_ ,” Tim mockingly parroted back. “Well! Just uncomplicate it.”

“It’s not as simple as that, Tim.”

“Figure it out! You two are really smart.” 

“Than—”

“But right now, you both are being idiots. At least you are.” Tim put his hands at his hips. “This is why you need to stay in Gotham. You need to figure this out with her.”

“Tim, I know what you’re trying to do.” Dick exhaled. “I’m leaving tonight.”

“T-tonight?!”

“Yeah,” Dick nodded a hesitant, reassuring smile on his face. But it wasn’t reassuring, In the slightest. To Tim, all it felt like was patronizing,

“I can’t believe you, Dick. Have I been that bad?”

“I—I, what?”

Tim swept his arms up exasperatedly. “You got me to save people and help you with your Robin duties. Am I doing something wrong? Because clearly, I am. Harley doesn’t like the fact that I’m fighting against the bad guys, but I did it anyway. Because you told me to. What am I doing wrong?”

“No, you’re not—”

“Then why are you leaving?! The only reason I could see is that I failed you. I failed another person.”

“Tim, wait—”

Fury rumbled in Tim’s chest as he glared at Dick. “I trusted you. I should’ve known.” He turned away from Dick’s hand weakly reaching out to Tim. “Harley knew. I should’ve believed her.”

Tim readied a grapple gun to launch himself off the rooftop, ignoring Dick’s yells. He felt a hand grip his arm and he immediately shook it off. 

“I hate you, Dick.” It was quiet, but so was the rest of Gotham at that moment and Dick heard every softly uttered word. “So fucking much.” 

And then he jumped.

-Present-

It hurt. It hurt a lot when Dick left. Tim spiraled into an internal oblivion in which he questioned himself and the point of trying anything if he kept on failing. Robin leaving him tore him apart as he suffocated in a sea of self-loathing and insecurity and rage. But then came another Robin. And with him, brought a new, better age. One that held _hope_ in Tim’s life. And that was priceless. 

But now he was gone.

“I’m still here at least,” Robin whispered but Scapino tried his best to ignore him. 

“What is it that you want, Dick?”

“I just wanted to check on you.”

Scapino laughed humorlessly. “It’s been years, Dick. Or should I say, _Nightwing_?” He spat out the alias like it was an insult. To him, it might as well be one.

“Well,” Dick shifted uncomfortably, his fingers fidgeting with his escrima stick holsters. “You wouldn’t let me talk to you. This is the first time that you haven’t immediately run.”

Scapino eyed him before sighing. “What do you want?” 

“Just,” Dick shrugged, “catch up, I guess.”

Robin laughed and Scapino’s shoulders tensed, balling his fists at his sides.  
He couldn’t help but stare in disbelief, anger festering in the back of his mind. “Catch up? _Catch up?_ After you _threw_ me away?”

“I didn’t throw—” Dick stopped himself. “I didn’t come here to argue with you. If you really feel that way, I’m sorry I made you feel like I threw you away. But I didn’t. I know me being Robin was really important to you, but I couldn’t be that forever, you know? I had to grow up.”

“He grew out of you,” Robin smiled, standing behind Dick. “Remember? You’re too _immature_.”

Scapino flinched, looking away from Robin. “Okay. Then what _are_ you here for then?”

“I—” Dick exhaled, rubbing his hands together as if soothing himself. “I came to ask if you were doing okay. Really. I came to check on you because we haven’t spoken in a while, and since I came to Gotham and will be here more often now, I thought we could at least have a little chat.”

“ _What_?” Scapino crossed his arms, a lurking sense of fear in the back of his mind. “You’ll be here more often?”

“Yeah.” Dick nodded, a smile spreading across his face. “Now that we have a new Robin, I want to make sure she gets what she needs to grow and become the best Robin she can be.” His countenance turned solemn. “I don’t want to mess up again. I don’t want her to suffer what Jason did.”

“Wow,” Scapino snorted, feeling a spark of anger. “You really have replaced him, haven’t you?”

“N—no, we didn’t replace him,” Dick emphatically objected, waving his arms. “Please, Scapino.”

Having enough of Dick’s shit, Scapino took out his grapple and readied to leave him behind. “Yeah, right.”

Dick didn’t say anything until Scapino raised his arm to launch the grapple. “Wait, Scap.”

And God fucking damn it. Scapino paused. And turned. “ _What._ ”

“I—I really missed you. I wish I didn’t have to leave you behind and I know you weren’t left in a good emotional or mental state but… but I had to. I had to leave Gotham.” Dick stared at his hands. “Will you forgive me? I know it’s been years too late but… I really am sorry. You wanted us to stick together, through thick and thin. But I had to break away.”

He heard a sharp cackle and with wide eyes and a sinking heart, Dick looked up to watch Scapino laugh humorlessly before saying, “It was never meant to be, anyway.”

He sighed, looking down at his feet as Scapino looked on coldly, faintly noticing Robin walking away from them. He wanted to ask why Robin was leaving him now, but… he couldn’t. Not right now. Not when Dick was here.

“Goodbye, Dick.” Scapino pressed a metallic button on the grapple and it launched him into the air. “Go to hell.” And he heard Robin whooping as he left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Comments make me very happy and are greatly appreciated. Have an awesome day/night!


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